Latest news with #AmericanWomen
CNA
04-07-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Anisimova vows to hit practice courts after reaching last 16
LONDON :American Amanda Anisimova became the first American through to the last-16 of this year's Wimbledon with a 6-3 5-7 6-3 defeat of Hungary's Dalma Galfi on Friday. Not that the 13th seed was too impressed by her Independence Day display on a sunny Court Three. "It was an incredibly tough match but I kept fighting," the 23-year-old, one of five American women to reach the third round, said on court. "I think the quality wasn't that great today but I will hit the practice courts tomorrow." Anisimova, a quarter-finalist in 2022, secured the decisive break of serve in the first set with a stunning lob to lead 5-3. She had chances near the end of the second set too but was pegged back as 110th-ranked Galfi dug deep to break serve at 5-6 and set up a decider. Anisimova let out a big scream as she broke serve early in the third set with a wrong-footing forehand and an even louder one when she saved a break point when leading 3-2. Another break of serve put Anisimova in complete control but at 5-2 she double-faulted on break point down to give Galfi hope. But it did not prove costly for the American who sealed the win a game later to move through.
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
The American women who are making Elon Musk's doomsday prediction a reality
Elon Musk has warned for years that 'population collapse' is a bigger threat to civilization than climate change. Now, new research has suggested that American women may be quietly proving him right. The study looked at the fertility intentions of over 41,000 women aged 15 to 44, finding that 50 percent of them were uncertain if they would have children in the future, even though they desired to be a mother. Researchers found that economic pressures, social shifts, and emotional uncertainty are driving a growing disconnect. The data also showed that uncertainty about having children isn't the same for all, and younger women are experiencing the biggest changes. Women aged 15 to 29 became increasingly unsure not only about whether they would have children, but also how strongly they felt about wanting them. In contrast, women aged 30 to 44 showed relatively stable levels of certainty over time. The data was collected from 2002 through 2019, which the team speculated revealed why US birth rates have been on a steady decline since the 2007 Great Recession. The fertility rate has decreased by 21 percent between 2007 and 2024. Musk, the billionaire father of 14 children, has often pointed to declining fertility as a sign that modern societies are forgetting how to survive. He previously said that low birth rates mean few workers, increased debt, strained healthcare and pension systems, and total social unrest. The US fertility rate was stable at about 2.0 children per woman in the 1990s and early 2000s, reaching a peak of 2.12 in 2007, statistics show. But the fertility rate steadily declined in the aftermath of the Great Recession, falling to 1.62 in 2023. Sarah Hayford, co-author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, told Ohio State News: 'People's feelings about having children are complicated, and we found there are a lot of nuances. 'It suggests that there is no simple answer to the declining birth rate in the US.' The study used data from the National Survey of Family Growth, a federally funded survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Over the years studied, the team found that 62 percent of women said they intended to have a child and 35 percent did not intend to, with only a small percentage saying they didn't know. But up to half of the participants who intended to have children said they were only 'somewhat sure' or 'not sure at all' that they would realize their intention to have a child. The team found that women with higher incomes and education levels were more inclined to report 'very sure' that they would have children than those on the opposite side of the spectrum. Levels of certainty among women considering having children, showing the percentage who said they were not at all sure, somewhat sure, or very sure. Data includes confidence intervals and is grouped by parental status (b) and age (c). However, women with a bachelor's degree who gave that answer declined from 65 percent in 2014 to 54 percent in 2018. The data revealed another pattern holding women back from having children -the actual desire to be a mother. Up to 25 percent of childless women wouldn't be bothered if they never had kids. 'This not being bothered was especially high among younger women, and it increased over time among those who were younger,' Hayford said. 'They are open to different pathways and different kinds of lives. If they don't become parents for whatever reason, it doesn't seem that upsetting to many of them.' One commonly suggested reason for the declining birth rate is that young people today feel uncertain about the future, both of the country and the world, which may be causing them to delay or avoid having children. The team conducted a second study, surveying 3,696 people, which found that the more disassified they were with their own lives, the less likely they were to want a child. 'It was a bit of a surprise to us, but it was only their personal situation that mattered in whether they expected to have children,' Hayford said. 'It wasn't so much what was going on in society that predicted their fertility goals.'
Fast Company
24-06-2025
- Health
- Fast Company
Why we need to redefine puberty culture for Gen Z girls
The rise of misinformation aimed at young girls across digital underscores an urgent need for credible resources, empowering products, and emotionally safe communities. Today's teen girls are navigating puberty and emotional development in a world no previous generation has known, one where their bodies, confidence, and mental health are influenced as much by social media algorithms as by their own biology. And it's taking a devastating toll. Popular platforms like TikTok and Instagram are proving to be part of the problem, with one in three girls acknowledging negative feelings about their body, based on what they see in their feeds, on a weekly basis. And while this is beginning earlier and earlier each year, a U.S. study revealed that by age 13, 53% of girls report being unhappy with their bodies, a figure that by age 17, rises to an alarming 78%. All of this during the crucial period when girls' self-worth, mental health, and emotional resilience are also being developed. Lack of puberty education and practical support Major surveys show many U.S. girls feel under-prepared for puberty. In one 2021 study, 74% of menstruating students (ages 13–19) had questions about their periods, yet just 43% said schools openly discussed this puberty milestone. A 2023 poll of American women found only 15% felt prepared for their first period, 48% said they were not prepared, and 21% did not understand what was happening at their first menstruation. A 2021–22 national health survey found 31% of girls (ages 12–17) reported anxiety symptoms and 25% reported depression. Feelings of isolation and stigma are common. In a representative teen poll, 45% of girls said they'd been 'too ashamed or embarrassed' to seek help when they had questions about their bodies (e.g. puberty or menstruation). Likewise, 58% of teens agreed that society 'is not set up for them to manage puberty and menstruation with full confidence.' And here's the reality: Puberty isn't what it was 10 years ago. Menarche—a girl's first period—now arrives as young as age 9. Girls are navigating their most vulnerable stages of growth and development in a digital age with little support. Recently, Cloudstate CEO Meg Smith spent 16 months with global focus groups, conducting surveys and conversations with hundreds of Gen Z girls and their parents. By the end, one thing was clear: Girls today need a brand—and a safe space—that actually puts the needs and voices of their community first. The digital puberty space Gen Z actually wants Platforms like Cloudstate's Girl Talk Live (GTL), a first-of-its-kind digital destination designed for girls navigating puberty's emotional and social rollercoasters in today's hyper-connected world, is a necessary first step. Cloudstate understands young girls today aren't interested in a sterile medical site or a glorified product forum. Instead, they want a hype-worthy, judgment-free zone where they can ask the real stuff, connect with relatable 'big sister' mentors, and access expert-backed advice on everything from body confidence to friend drama to managing anxiety. They thrive in places that feel like their closest squad—but smarter, safer, and kinder. We are here to provide just that. But we also know that resources alone aren't enough. Some of the earliest experiences girls have with their changing bodies, like shopping for their first bra, are deeply emotional milestones too often treated as transactional. That's why we are reimagining what that moment looks and feels like. Our brand isn't just selling bras, we're creating confidence-first products designed to support a girl's emotional, physical, and mental growth. Because for girls, a bra isn't just a bra. It's an early, intimate encounter with their changing body—and it deserves care, kindness, and community to go with it. Because Gen Z girls deserve better Puberty is biologically wired to be an emotionally intense time. In the digital age, that natural vulnerability is amplified by forces girls were never meant to navigate alone. It's time brands and influencers stop offering products and advice that may be unqualified and harmful, without providing emotional support, real conversation, and a seat at the table. Gen Z girls aren't simply accepting how they should deal with puberty. They are challenging what is offered to them and demanding an experience that is better than the generations that came before. They are rewriting the rules of puberty culture…and it's time we all listen.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Too many women 'grin and bear it' when getting an IUD. I helped write new pain management guidelines to change that.
Millions of American women have had an IUD (a tiny T-shaped contraceptive device) inserted into their uterus. Many of them likely walked into their doctor's office with a bit of anxiety, not knowing what exactly the procedure would feel like: Would it be just a pinch or would it be incredibly painful? (There is no shortage of viral horror stories.) Also, would your doctor take your pain seriously? Up until recently, there wasn't a standard of care for IUD pain management. Women are often told to pop over-the-counter pain relievers before coming in for the procedure, even though they don't always control the pain. Any pain relief beyond that has been up to the woman's doctor or hospital, and depended on what options they had available. That's changing thanks to new guidelines on pain management for IUD placement issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists last month, which follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated guidelines in 2024. ACOG called out the 'urgent need' for doctors to acknowledge and treat patient pain and added that patients should 'have more autonomy over pain control options for their health care.' Genevieve Hofmann is a nurse practitioner who coauthored the new ACOG guidelines. In this interview with Yahoo Life's Rachel Grumman Bender, Hofmann explains why IUDs can be painful for some, why any fears shouldn't scare people off from getting this highly effective contraceptive and how these pain management guidelines are an important step in the right direction. IUDs are really one of the most effective birth control methods out there. We call them LARCs, or long-acting reversible contraceptives. Hormonal IUDs are over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy, and nonhormonal IUDs are equally effective. What's nice about hormonal IUDs is that we also use them to manage a lot of gynecologic conditions, such as heavy menstrual bleeding and painful periods. However, patients are coming to us and saying, 'I do not want to have this horrible experience with getting an IUD. How can we manage this?' I've been in practice for a little over 20 years and [when I started out], we would tell people to take some ibuprofen beforehand and try to do some distraction techniques while we're putting it in. There's a lot of grin and bear it in gynecology and in women's health. It's really challenging for us as providers to give people an accurate assessment of what they're going to experience with IUD placement. I've seen people who have had IUDs placed where it was like, That was not terrible, and then all the way to That was the worst pain that I've ever had in my entire life and I had a natural childbirth. There's a very large range of how people experience pain as well as anxiety. So I think as a provider, the guidelines really put the onus on us to help people anticipate the pain and have that conversation about what they can expect. Sometimes they won't know until they're in the throes of it, and so it's about being prepared with some pain options in anticipation that it could be a really painful and uncomfortable procedure for them. IUD insertion requires the placement of a speculum, which sort of holds open the vagina in a way that's not normal. So having a speculum in the vagina is not really comfortable. Then there's the procedure itself. A lot of times, we have to manipulate the position of the uterus, and we do that sometimes by putting a clamp on the cervix. It's this sort of sharp instrument that takes a little 'bite' out of the cervix to hold it in place. So that tenaculum placement can be very painful. IUDs are placed in the uterus, which is a muscular organ. To do that, you have to go through the cervix, which is the opening to the uterus. The cervix can be very tight, especially if someone has not had a vaginal birth. And so getting through that cervical opening can be really painful for some. The uterine body itself has some nerves, so something going into the uterus is just crampy and painful — it's a very deep, visceral pain that is hard to explain to people if they've never had any kind of instrumentation in the uterus before. We also have a really large nerve called the vagus nerve that goes through the cervix; so people can also have this kind of vasovagal-type response when we manipulate the cervix, which makes people feel really terrible too. It makes you feel like you're going to pass out and you get hot and you feel like you're going to throw up. And sometimes people feel like they have to poop and that is a really uncomfortable feeling as well. So there are many different aspects that cause pain. But not everyone's going to feel that way. As a provider, I don't want to scare people out of getting this really effective birth control method or way to manage heavy menstrual bleeding. So [it's about] finding that balance between giving people the information they need so they can feel, OK, I'm going into this with my eyes open, but also not terrifying and scaring people away that they say, Yeah, I'm never ever gonna do that. I always say it's like going to a restaurant. You're going to tell 25 people when you have a terrible restaurant experience. But if you have a great restaurant experience or a mediocre restaurant experience, you don't really tell anybody. So, I think there's a lot of people who do great with their IUD insertion and really manage it well, but they're not as vocal about it as somebody who's had a really awful experience. What the evidence for the guidelines really demonstrated was that using some sort of topical lidocaine, which is a numbing agent, on the cervix was beneficial compared to a placebo or compared to other distracting techniques or ibuprofen and other pain medications. Many of us have been offering better pain management options in the last several years compared to maybe what was happening 10 or 25 years ago. We know from the evidence that anxiety tends to worsen pain. I think providers will give anxiolytics [medications to treat anxiety], so telling patients to take a little bit of Xanax or some Ativan to help with the anxiety. And I do think people are using localized lidocaine, whether that's in a gel or a spray or putting in an injectable lidocaine through a paracervical (nerve) block. I think that is becoming much more typical. There's also IV sedation. The other big thing that comes out of these guidelines is that we as providers owe it to our patients to have a discussion about some options that are available to them. So, it's really having the conversation, guiding patients to make the best decisions for themselves and then hopefully being able to find some interventions that you can do in your clinic safely and effectively to give people some options. I hope that these guidelines get the conversation started in a way that we're meeting people where their needs are ... that they feel heard and can access things like IUDs that are really highly effective ... and that we believe patients when they say, 'This was really painful.' Or, 'I had a really terrible experience last time I did this.' [We should] trust them to know their bodies and say, 'OK, here are the things we're going to do to hopefully try to improve that experience this time.' So I hope that's what comes out of it. Patients need to feel like they're in a space where they can advocate for themselves and be heard. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Women Are About To Inherit $30 Trillion in ‘Great Wealth Transfer' — How To Prepare for Your Windfall
American women are poised to inherit $30 trillion in wealth in the next 10 years in what experts are calling the Great Wealth Transfer, already in progress. Much of this money will be passed generationally, and a significant amount will move from men to their wives, according to The Rising Wealth of Women, a Bank of America Institute report published last year. Although this transfer is narrowing wealth disparities between women and men, the study found that women are still less confident in their ability to manage a financial windfall. Watch Out: Read Next: A recent survey from Citizens Bank found 66% of Gen Z women and 50% of millennial women said they'd delayed actively managing their wealth because they lacked confidence or didn't know how to do it, and just 16% felt completely confident in their ability to manage an inheritance. Keep reading to learn how to take control of your money and prepare for your eventual windfall. The vast majority of women who've already inherited money from their parents or their husbands felt unprepared. Global wealth manager UBS noted in its May Own Your Worth report that 40% of women who inherited from their parents had done so with no wealth-transfer or estate plan in place. Widowed women faced similar predicaments, with 25% not even knowing where their husbands' wealth was. At the very least, know what assets your family has, where they're held and how they'll pass on to you. Tax planning is also important, according to 87% of the inheritance recipients surveyed by UBS. Discover More: Defining your short-term and long-term goals in writing gives you a blueprint to guide your financial decisions now and after you've received your inheritance. These priorities might include: Building an emergency fund Saving for retirement Paying off debt Starting a business Saving for your kids' education Buying a home Planning your own estate It's never too early to start working toward your financial goals. A budget is the best way to do it. In addition to eliminating waste, it gets you in the habit of spending mindfully and deliberately. That accountability is the key to financial health, and it'll give you more choices when it comes time to decide how to use your inherited funds. A high percentage of women have never had their own investment account — and those who do invest do so more conservatively compared to men. Bank of America found that they allocate smaller percentages of their portfolios to stocks, for example, and are less likely to invest in risky assets like cryptocurrency. That's not a bad thing if it aligns with your risk tolerance. But if you're staying out of the market or investing conservatively because you don't feel competent enough to take more risk, make financial education a priority. Many resources are available online. You can find continuing/community ed courses through local colleges and universities. A certified financial planner (CFP) can help advise you on the best approach to meet your financial goals and help you figure out how your inheritance fits into that plan — and into your own estate plan as well. When the time comes, they can also advise you about the benefits of working with an attorney, tax accountant and/or insurance agent to protect your expanding assets. It's not unusual to have mixed feelings about planning for an inheritance. After all, it forces you to acknowledge your family members' and your own mortality. But laying the groundwork now can put everyone's minds at ease knowing that you're ready to receive this transfer of wealth and prepare the next generation to receive theirs. More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard Clever Ways To Save Money That Actually Work in 2025 I'm a Retired Boomer: 6 Bills I Canceled This Year That Were a Waste of Money This article originally appeared on Women Are About To Inherit $30 Trillion in 'Great Wealth Transfer' — How To Prepare for Your Windfall
