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<ul class="summary-list"><li>I was an average student without the ambition to go to college or pursue a high-flying career.</li><li>But my friend Gerry knew exactly how much she wanted to succeed in life before she was 11.</li></ul>I rarely see my four <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/childhood-best-friend-lost-touch-reconnect-college-2024-2">besties from middle </a>and high school. It only happens when the stars align, and we're back in our hometown at the same time.Three of the women still live in our native England, one is in Australia, and I'm in the US after moving across the Atlantic nearly 20 years ago.Still, we all got together in the summer of 2016 for lunch at a fancy hotel to mark the 30th anniversary of our <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/autistic-son-graduated-high-school-cant-go-to-college-2024-6">high school graduation</a>. And, in 2023, we booked a similar reunion at the same place.We realized one of our friends had encouraged us throughout our lives to do better. <h2 id="fd184931-9822-43b1-995d-dc9731f0ae19">My friend was the biggest go-getter I'd ever met</h2>Unfortunately, one of the group couldn't make it that time. Geraldine — affectionately known as Gerry — had to cancel last minute due to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canada-freight-rail-union-lockout-canadian-national-pacific-kansas-city-2024-8">a national rail strike</a> in the UK. It meant she couldn't travel the 250 miles from her home in London."Here's to Gerry," we said, clinking our glasses of wine. She'd always been the life and soul of the party. Inevitably, we reminisced about the good old days at school and the part she'd played in them."I owe a lot to Gerry," my friend, Louise, announced. To my surprise, she said she might have dropped out of high school if it hadn't been for Gerry.I'd never heard the story before, but she'd convinced Louise to stick with it. It turned out Louise had become so overwhelmed by one of the classes they took together that she'd almost decided to quit.Gerry's encouragement didn't stop at a pep talk. She became Louise's study partner, spending hours every week helping her grasp the complex science subject. "It got me into my biology degree, my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/learning/what-is-graduate-certificate-vs-masters-degree-faq">postgraduate certificate in education,</a> and ultimately a job," Louise, a teacher, said.She called it her "sliding doors moment" and speculated on where she might have been without Gerry's influence.<h2 id="224acd46-811d-4af4-895b-5daf1d862151">She influenced me, too</h2>It got me thinking about the impact of my own relationship with our mutual friend of 40-odd years. Gerry, who had a working class background, was a go-getter who excelled in academics and sports.She attended one of the best colleges in the UK and became a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/venture-capital">venture capitalist</a>. She served on company boards and was financially secure enough to retire before she turned 50.It had always been part of her plan. I remember her telling me that she was going to leave a legacy. "I don't want to be famous," she said. "But I want to make a mark."We were in middle school at the time. None of my peers but Gerry would have said something like that at 16, let alone 11. She'd already decided to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-you-should-study-at-university-if-you-want-to-be-a-billionaire-2017-9">study economics at university</a> ahead of a career in finance. All she had to do was get the right grades.Her ambition was breathtaking — and catching. I'd always been an average student, but after I met Gerry, I stepped up my game. It's majorly cringey, but we set up a "Flame of Knowledge" competition in our little friend group, where we logged our grades. A winner — nearly always Gerry — was declared every few months. There was even a nerdy trophy.<h2 id="1d801515-e5fd-4eeb-bcce-1460a90362f6">I often wonder where I'd be if it hadn't been for Gerry</h2>Meanwhile, nobody in my family had been to university. I wasn't heading in that direction either. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-journalism-job-become-high-school-teacher-huge-culture-shock-2023-7">I wanted to be a newspaper reporter </a>like my dad, and you didn't need a degree for the job at the time. Still, when Gerry was enthused about college, I wondered why I wasn't considering it either.She also inspired me to put more effort into sports. I'm not athletic, but after I saw Gerry on the track, I took up running. She was also a keen artist. In our junior year, at her instigation, we did a course at our local library run by a famous writer and illustrator of children's books. I wrote about it <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/successful-ivy-league-college-application-look-insider-2024-5">on my college application</a>.It helped me get accepted into a top-tier university. I am now in my 34th year of journalism — a profession that's taken me from London to New York. I'll never be able to follow my friend's lead and retire early, but I think I've done OK in life.The revelation from Louise at the reunion Gerry missed finally made me realize the profound effect she'd had on me too. Since then, I've wondered about "sliding doors" and what might have happened if I hadn't met her 45 years ago in sixth grade.Here's to you, Gerry.Do you have an interesting story to share with Business Insider about someone who made a big influence on you? Please send details to <a target="_blank" href="mailto:jridley@insider.com">jridley@businessinsider.com</a>

When I was 11, I made a friend who changed the trajectory of my life. She inspired me to go to college and try harder.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An NFL player said women should be homemakers in a commencement speech he delivered this week.</li><li>Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker addressed the graduates of Benedictine College, a Catholic school.</li></ul>Nuns affiliated with the college where an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chiefs-kicker-quoted-billionaire-taylor-swift-homemakers-speech-2024-5">NFL player said women should aspire to be "homemakers"</a> aren't fans of his controversial comments.On Saturday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/super-bowl-lviii-winner-chiefs-49ers-pat-mahomes-overtime-2024-2">Kansas City Chiefs</a> kicker <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kansas-city-chiefs-harrison-butker-diet-steak-and-rice-2023-2">Harrison Butker</a> addressed the 2024 graduating class at Benedictine College, a small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas. In <a target="_blank" href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JS7RIKSaCc">his speech</a>, he told women in the audience that they have been fed "diabolical lies" about pursuing careers, quickly sparking widespread backlash.The most recent critique of Butker's remarks comes from the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, who called themselves as "a founding institution and sponsor of Benedictine College" and posted <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mountosb.org/">a statement</a> on their website Thursday."The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker's comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested," the nuns' statement read.The sisters said that Butker's comments "seem to have fostered division" "instead of promoting unity" and that they disagreed with his suggestion that "being a homemaker is the highest calling" women should aspire for."Many women whom we have taught and influenced during the past 160 years," the nuns said in their statement, "have made a tremendous difference in the world in their roles as wives and mothers and through their God-given gifts in leadership, scholarship, and their careers." <div type="image" title="Benedictine College" height="400" width="600" msid="110215758" hostid="261" sizebytes="41520"></div>The sisters also said that they have taught both women and men to "create a compassionate home" — "not just how to be 'homemakers' in a limited sense.""We reject a narrow definition of what it means to be Catholic," the sisters said. "We want to be known as an inclusive, welcoming community, embracing Benedictine values that have endured for more than 1,500 years and have spread through every continent and nation."<h2 id="26478cf4-d965-4e4f-806f-55eae3468e87">The graduation speech has received widespread backlash</h2>The nuns aren't the only ones to critique Butker's stances.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/16/sport/harrison-butker-commencement-speech-analysis-cec/index.html">NFL distanced itself</a> from his comments in a statement that said the body is committed to inclusivity.Butker also got <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chiefs-kicker-quoted-billionaire-taylor-swift-homemakers-speech-2024-5">flak from Swifties</a> for using a Taylor Swift lyric to make a dig at Pride Month elsewhere in his speech. Butker prefaced the lyric by calling Swift, who is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-relationship-timeline-photos-2023-10">dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce</a>, his "teammate's girlfriend."<div type="image" title="Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker smiles after game-winning field goal against Cincinnati Bengals." height="1650" width="2474" msid="110215760" hostid="261" sizebytes="186144"></div>Some fans highlighted the irony of Butker's choice, given Swift's success in music, and called him "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" on social media, a reference to one of the tracks from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-album-release-date-tracklist-what-to-know">her newest album.</a>"I actually think that Harrison Butker quoting Taylor Swift in his dumpster fire of a speech is hilarious when you consider that the song he quoted (Bejeweled) is about a successful woman telling a mediocre man to step aside so she can shine," one user <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/mckenziehopson/status/1791058504171614537">wrote on X</a> in a post that has over 33,000 likes.One social-media user <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/Alex78MK/status/1790869474649817236">compared the speech to "The Handmaid's Tale."</a> The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Butker's representative didn't respond to previous requests for comment from BI.

Nuns at the college where an NFL player said women should be 'homemakers' denounced his comments for not reflecting their values

After a full day of meetings at Julie, a startup that sells a morning-after pill, CEO Amanda E/J Morrison jumped a flight from New York to Boston and headed to a small, private college, where a trivia night awaited her. Dozens of students shuffled into a classroom with plates of chicken tenders, Texas toast, and bright blue boxes of the emergency contraceptive.Morrison had worked with the Planned Parenthood Generation Action club at Suffolk University to sponsor the event, part of Julie's efforts to win a new generation of consumers. However, she had another, more pressing reason for being there. Julie is doing more campus events to clear up some of the confusion about emergency contraception — namely, that it isn't medication abortion.Standing at the head of the classroom, Morrison read off a projector screen, "Emergency contraceptives like Julie are legal in how many states? 25, 48, 50, 37." Students tapped their answers into a quiz app. "It's 37," Lily, a spirited sophomore, whispered to her teammates.In a minute, the correct answer appeared on screen, and the quiet chatter rose to a clamor. Half the teams said 37 states."Fifty states, guys. It's everywhere," Morrison said.When asked why she said 37, Lily said, "Just the way things are going."In states that outlaw abortion, some patients and politicians worry that contraception could be in legal jeopardy, too. There's no federal law preserving access to birth control, rather, a patchwork of state laws and court decisions holding it in place. Another Trump term <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/29/trump-birth-control-contraception-00159555">could change that</a>.For Julie, "that's the million dollar question of this election," Morrison said.<div type="image" title="TK" height="2000" width="2667" msid="114460252" hostid="261" sizebytes="193282"></div>"We're not worried about some big ban happening in the first hundred days. But how those decisions trickle down — what is presented in Congress as a bill, how the Supreme Court reacts, what trickles down to the states — becomes a real secondary concern," she said.Founders of women's health startups feel doubly invested in this election, one of the closest presidential races of the century. Half a dozen founders and investors of women's health companies, all women, told Business Insider that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, it's business as usual. They said another Trump victory creates uncertainty for reproductive health startups, from period trackers to online abortion clinics to embryo banks.<div type="image" title="TK" height="1610" width="2147" msid="114460254" hostid="261" sizebytes="109206"></div>While Harris's presidential campaign has been marked by unrelenting support for reproductive healthcare, including contraception and abortions, Trump's position has been a moving target.The former president suggested <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/29/trump-birth-control-contraception-00159555">in May</a> that he was "looking at" restrictions on birth control, then walked that position back in a social media post later that day. During the September presidential debate, he called himself a "leader" on IVF, a move that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/12/trump-ivf-gop-roe-abortion-00178760">angered</a> parts of his base that have sought to restrict fertility treatments. He said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-says-he-would-veto-federal-abortion-ban/">in October</a> that he'd veto a national abortion ban after deflecting the question for months but would support states ordaining their own abortion bans.Trump's waffling on reproductive rights has put founders of women's health startups on notice. "It is one of the major issues that we're discussing and that our CEOs are focused on — how to continue to provide care to women, especially women of childbearing age," said Trish Costello, founder of Portfolia, an investing platform that pools money from female accredited investors.The day after the presidential debate, Mika Eddy was vibrating with the weight of the election. The race's outcome could drastically change reproductive rights, foreign policy, gun safety, and climate law — all issues close to Eddy, a 35-year-old Californian and mother of two.But Eddy also has skin in the game as the chief executive officer of Malama Health, a startup helping women with gestational diabetes access better care. Its doula network assists patients on Medicaid with applying for benefits such as diabetes-friendly meals and medical transport.Eddy worries that if Trump wins, he would restrict access to the coverage and benefits that her users rely on, weakening one of Malama Health's key services."There is this common misperception that, 'we're in California, we're in a liberal state, and so we're safe.' And I don't think that's the case," Eddy said.For some founders of women's health startups, this election is more than a political contest; it has ramifications for their livelihoods. With so much at stake, they're planning how to handle a scenario where states or courts might impose more limits on reproductive rights.<div type="image" title="US Vice President Kamala Harris taking pictures with some young teen girls." height="3000" width="4000" msid="114460257" hostid="261" sizebytes="755478"></div><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/abortion-telemedicine-startup-hey-jane-roe-v-wade-2022-10">Hey Jane</a> is a telehealth startup that connects patients to medical providers who offer online appointments and delivers abortion pills to their doorsteps. A year after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion, Hey Jane started selling birth control and treatments for urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and herpes, both oral and genital. The new products cushion the business against a "plan E" scenario of a national abortion ban, said Carli Sapir, a Hey Jane investor and founding partner of Amboy Ventures."We're thinking about how to make sure those other verticals are in a good place to continue carrying the company forward," said Sapir.This time last year, one of Hey Jane's rivals, Choix, shut down <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vcs-backing-online-abortion-sites-say-its-good-business-2021-9">after three years in service</a>. The company said in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/choix-closes-virtual-doors-launches-130300919.html">press release</a> that "the stigma and politics surrounding abortion care posed significant fundraising challenges." It raised a $1 million seed round in 2022.While direct providers of abortion, like Hey Jane, could see major restrictions or shutdowns to their core businesses if Trump returns to the White House, a wider range of companies expect to feel the ripple effects. Startups that seem removed from the front lines, such as those involved with period tracking and fertility treatments, are also preparing for potential challenges.<div type="image" title="Then-President Donald Trump addresses the anti-abortion &quot;March for Life&quot;" height="750" width="1000" msid="114460247" hostid="261" sizebytes="53678"></div>If a national abortion ban were to occur, apps like Flo Health or Clue might face increased scrutiny, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-lux-capital-deena-shakir-wrote-childrens-book-2024-9">Deena Shakir</a>, a general partner at Lux Capital. These apps track when women have their periods and when they miss them. In today's post-Roe America, privacy experts worry that such data could be used to suggest that someone has had or is thinking about having an abortion, potentially putting women at risk of prosecution in certain states.The stakes could be equally high for companies involved with fertility treatments.The demand for services like in vitro fertilization, or IVF, and surrogacy has been climbing for years as people have kids later in life and infertility rates increase. That's birthed a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fertility-startups-booming-despite-market-downturn-2023-6">global fertility market</a> that includes companies that operate clinics to provide services like egg freezing and IVF, companies that run labs and tests, and firms that help people pay for the procedures.However, the industry's future is uncertain following attacks on abortion access. The end of Roe v. Wade opened up the legal terrain for states to interfere with access to other reproductive care, said Lauren Berson Sugarman, founder and chief executive officer of Conceive, a startup that offers personalized fertility guidance, including text support from nurses and peer groups.In Alabama, the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children. That put patients and fertility clinics on edge that they could be criminally charged for destroying extra embryos. A handful of Alabama clinics paused IVF treatments while patients throughout the South began moving their embryos to jurisdictions with more stable legal protections."We see a lot of patients come to us and say, should I move my embryos out of a red state? Because what happens if they come after IVF?" said Berson Sugarman.The push for "embryo rights" could have wide-reaching repercussions for startups like Maven Clinic or Carrot Fertility, which offer fertility benefits for employers, and TMRW Life Sciences, a biotech company creating robots for the safe storage of frozen sperm, eggs, and embryos.Moreover, it could influence the type of research that startups conduct and where. Alice Zheng, a principal at women's health investor RH Capital, explains how the shifting legal landscape might affect companies like Vitra Labs. As a biotech startup working on developing eggs from stem cells for IVF, "they're doing really cutting-edge research for fertility, but they need to think very carefully about where they set up shop," Zheng said. "Some of their research might involve certain types of tissue, which is more closely scrutinized in some areas than others."<div type="image" title="TK" height="2000" width="2667" msid="114460250" hostid="261" sizebytes="243576"></div>Two years ago, in the hours after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion, Morrison's phone started ringing and didn't stop. Investors wanted to know if the ruling would kill Julie's launch in Walmart stores that fall. Job candidates wondered if the company would still exist in six months. Morrison's mom called, concerned for her daughter's future."For probably two weeks straight, I was just doing reassurance calls," Morrison said.While emergency contraception is not the abortion bill and is currently legal in all 50 states, it is continuously confused with the abortion pill, which can have damaging consequences. In June, the medical journal JAMA Network Open published a <a target="_blank" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2820370?%20utm_source=For_The_Media">study</a> that found retail pharmacy fills of Plan B, a leading morning-after pill brand, fell by 65% in states with near-total abortion bans the year after the Dobbs decision, partly due to clinic closures and confusion about its legal status.That confusion could threaten Julie's sales, and puts the onus of the company to better educate consumers. It sponsors events like trivia nights and sorority house brunches. It has enlisted TikTok influencers to share videos of their drugstore hauls showing how easy it is to buy Julie. In one video, a young woman going back-to-school shopping walks off with a two-count pack of the emergency contraceptive pill. The caption reads, "double majors, not double strollers."Other startups are urging consumers to fight for reproductive rights at the polls. Eddy's Malama Health has reminders to register to vote in its app and will tell users where their nearest polling station is closer to election day. The company asks for their ZIP codes during onboarding, Eddy explained."When you have a baby, you're like, 'I want to vote, but I don't know where to go,'" Eddy said. She hopes the emails will get more pregnant women and new moms to head to the polls. Eddy added that the emails won't support a candidate and are meant as a "nonpartisan resource."<div type="image" title="TK" height="2000" width="2667" msid="114460255" hostid="261" sizebytes="192114"></div>Julie's content isn't political, either. It's not trying to change any minds about abortion rights. The goal is simply to spread awareness among young adults that emergency contraception helps prevent pregnancy, not end it. This way, Morrison said, a woman who is anti-abortion and has unprotected sex can feel confident taking Julie knowing that she isn't compromising her abortion stance.It was past 9 o'clock on a weekday, and the competition at trivia night was heating up. Students in teams of two or three screamed with delight as they watched their names climb the leaderboard. They competed to win prizes like sex toys and T-shirts with the phrase, "A Better Morning After.""Morning-after pills end pregnancy. True or false," the club president called out.Thirty seconds later, the screen showed that every team had answered correctly.Morrison pumped both fists in the air, beaming her approval.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/melia-russell">Melia Russell</a> is a senior correspondent at Insider covering startups and venture capital. She can be reached via the encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 603-913-3085 and email at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:mrussell@businessinsider.com">mrussell@businessinsider.com</a>.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/rebecca-torrence">Rebecca Torrence</a> is a correspondent at Business Insider writing about healthcare startups and venture capital. Send her an email at <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:rtorrence@businessinsider.com">rtorrence@businessinsider.com</a>.

'The million-dollar question of this election': Women's health startups are confronting a shifting legal landscape   

<keyword id="20114810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="West-Bengal-chief-minister" source="keywords">West Bengal Chief Minister</keyword> <keyword id="19909056" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mamata-Banerjee" source="keywords">Mamata Banerjee</keyword> has written another letter to <keyword id="19898052" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prime-Minister-Narendra-Modi" source="keywords">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword>, expressing concern over the lack of response to her previous communication regarding the rape and murder of a PG <keyword id="22760814" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="trainee-doctor" source="keywords">trainee doctor</keyword>. In her letter, dated August 30, Banerjee emphasised the gravity of the situation and urged for prompt central intervention, highlighting the inadequacy of the reply received from the Union Minister of <keyword id="20086338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Women-and-Child-Development" source="keywords">Women and Child Development</keyword>. The letter reads, "No reply was received from your end on such a sensitive issue. However, a reply has been received from the Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India (vide their No. 1/RESC/HMWCD/2024 dated 25th August 2024), which barely addresses the gravity of the issue raised in my letter. I am of the view that the seriousness of the subject and its relevance to society have not been adequately appreciated in this generic reply." The letter was posted on her social media handle, X. In response to Union Minister Annapurna Devi's allegations regarding the state government's failure to implement essential safety measures for women and children, including Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), CM Mamata stated that the state government has approved 10 exclusive POCSO FTSCs, while 88 FTSCs and 62 POCSO-designated Courts are functioning with complete state funding. The letter mentioned, "Moreover, I would also refer to some of the initiatives in this area that our State has already undertaken, which appear to have been overlooked in the reply. Regarding Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), 10 exclusive POCSO Courts have been approved by the State Government. In addition to this, 88 FTSCs and 62 POCSO-designated Courts are functioning throughout the State with complete State funding. Monitoring and disposal of cases are entirely in the hands of the Courts." Highlighting the issue of appointing Presiding Officers in FTSCs, she further stated that this process requires examination and action from the Government of India, which, according to her, needs PM Modi's intervention. "As per Central Government guidelines, only retired Judicial Officers can be posted as Presiding Officers in FTSCs, but the Hon'ble High Court has observed that, in view of the severity of the cases, permanent Judicial Officers need to be appointed. This requires examination at the level of the Government of India and appropriate action thereafter, for which your intervention would be necessary. Moreover, Helpline Nos. 112 and 1098 are functioning satisfactorily in the State. Additionally, Dial 100 is also extensively used in emergency situations," the letter added. Urging for central <keyword id="20082569" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="legislation" source="keywords">legislation</keyword> and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes, the West Bengal CM expressed hope for very considered attention from PM Modi. Mamata Banerjee mentioned in her letter, "I would reiterate and earnestly request that a stringent Central legislation and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes of rape/rape and murder be considered, with a mandatory provision for the disposal of cases within a specific timeframe by the trial authorities. I hope this matter would receive very considered attention at your kind end in the interest of our society at large." On August 26, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi criticised the West Bengal government for its failure to implement essential safety measures for women and children in the state. In a letter written to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, the Union Minister stated that 123 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) were allocated to the state, but none of them are functional yet. Earlier, on August 22, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the central government to bring in central legislation and set up fast-track courts for "sensitive" issues to ensure a speedy trial. Mamata, in the letter, mentioned that such "sensitive" issues need to be addressed comprehensively through stringent central legislation prescribing exemplary punishment against the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. The Bengal Chief Minister suggested the setting up of "fast-track special courts" to deal with such cases, which require a speedy trial. This development comes after the trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.

"No reply received, hope this matter receives considered attention": CM Mamata writes to PM Modi again on rape-murder case

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I grew up in the Bible Belt, thinking that men were supposed to initiate romantic relationships.</li><li>I felt weird about making the first move when I met my future husband in college.</li></ul>By the time I <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/community-college-six-figure-tech-company-career-journey-2024-10">transferred colleges</a> my junior year, I'd sworn off dating. In fact, I made peace with the idea that I might never marry or have kids.This may sound extreme for someone in their early 20s, but in Bible Belt culture, marrying young is normal and encouraged. It's no secret that conservative Christians hold <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/want-be-tradwife-traditional-wife-marriage-homemaker-life-meaning-2024-3">traditional marriage</a>, family, and gender roles in high esteem. Growing up a good southern girl, I hoped and prayed for a "man of God" to sweep me off my feet.Outside hoping and praying, I didn't feel like I had much agency in my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/never-date-again-prefer-drama-free-single-life-2024-10">romantic life</a>. Since a woman was supposed to follow a man's lead, I waited — like Rapunzel locked in a tower. I thought I needed Prince Charming to save me, but I really needed to cast myself as the leading character in my life.<h2 id="318d37c2-ac66-4c6f-8a16-ad975c4b73ab">I spent my first two years of college in limbo</h2>My love life felt completely out of my control during my freshman and sophomore years. I agonized over texts from potential boyfriends, never certain of my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/people-are-tired-of-unpacking-relationships-what-to-do-2024-9">relationship status</a>. I lost sleep trying to figure out what I'd done wrong to deserve such treatment. Against my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-recover-after-mistake-bad-decision-at-work-2021-9">better judgment</a>, I attempted to be the woman that those men wanted me to be. But it wasn't working, and I felt powerless to change my situation.Around the same time, I dropped my architecture major and quit the track team. These experiences (and the anxiety that accompanied them) left me longing for a fresh start. I decided to switch schools and vowed not to let my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trauma-dump-dates-sobriety-saved-dating-life-2024-10">dating life</a> drag me down. Instead, I threw myself into extracurriculars and focused on making new friends.And then I met Thomas.<h2 id="d16a4ea4-98c4-4d8e-9cbb-aa3ab0d496e2">I asked him out</h2>I was instantly intrigued by him. Our paths first crossed via the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teammates-before-married-relationship-is-stronger-2024-8">triathlon club</a>, and we shared many other common interests — books, music, and milkshakes. We enjoyed each other's company and became fast friends. Before long, though, I realized that I wanted something more.A band that I liked was playing at a nearby bar. I wanted to go, but I didn't want to go alone. Since I was still new to school and didn't have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-takes-trips-with-friends-often-2024-10">many friends</a>, I thought to invite Thomas."But what if he thinks it's a date?" I remember asking my mom."Well, are you sure it's not?" she replied.I wasn't sure. In my mind, it couldn't really be a date unless he initiated it. In every fairytale and romcom, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/men-not-working-unemployment-job-market-economy-housing-social-security-2024-6">men pursue</a>, and the women respond. It was tradition. I didn't want to mess things up between us by jumping the gun. What if he didn't feel the same?Eventually, though, my impatience got the best of me. I worked up the nerve to ask him, convincing myself that we could go as just friends.On the other hand, Thomas assumed we were going on a date. It was our first time getting together outside triathlon practice, and he was excited. He didn't play by the same <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rules-of-dating-a-coworker-according-to-hr-experts-2024-10">dating rules</a> that I had been conditioned to follow.Imagine his surprise when I mentioned during the concert: "I'm glad we could come here as friends."He later admitted that this statement felt like a dagger to the heart.<h2 id="ea24c606-3481-422f-b6e6-8053389181ab">I was embarrassed to share my true feelings</h2>Despite my feelings for Thomas, I was ashamed to admit that I made the first move because it deviated from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-work-culture-changed-30-years-generations-hr-exec-2024-8">cultural norm</a>. I worried whether others would approve of my bold behavior, and I wondered if our relationship would suffer because of it.Now, 11 years and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sons-moved-europe-college-genx-parents-quit-jobs-graduate-school-2024-9">two kids</a> later, I'm proud that I took the leap. I was never a princess locked in a tower, and I'm free to pursue the things that I want without reservations or permission from others.If I hadn't diverged from the conventional narrative, I might not be where I am today.<h2 id="fe7ab28e-9f01-4f4a-ab3b-f0a18b6283ce">It's time to write a new story</h2><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-face-discrimination-job-interviews-how-to-stand-out-2024-8">Gender stereotypes</a> are extremely limiting, and I want better for my daughters. I want them to chase big dreams, take chances, and try bigger risks — whether it be asking someone out on a date or running for president.So I'll tell them this story rather than reciting old fairy tales. I'll also make sure they know they are the heroines of their own lives and don't need to wait around for anyone else.

Growing up in the Bible Belt, I thought men were supposed to make the first move. But I asked my husband out first in college.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Viewership for the women's NCAA basketball championship surpassed the men's final for the first time.</li><li>The rising popularity of women's basketball is reflected in factors like increased merchandise sales.</li></ul>In <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ncaa-march-madness-final-four-mens-womens-college-basketball-revenue-2024-4">college basketball</a>, a significant shift in popularity has emerged.Viewership for this year's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/march-madness-mens-womens-final-four-tournament-head-coaches-salaries-2024-4">NCAA basketball championship tournaments</a> paints a clear picture of this evolving trend as the audience for the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ncaa-proposal-nil-college-athlete-pay-womens-sports-gender-equity-2023-12">women's final game</a> surpassed the men's final for the first time. There is also evidence of this shift in other areas, including merchandise sales and even the WNBA.The 2024 women's NCAA championship game between the University of Iowa and the University of South Carolina drew 18.9 million viewers, according to the media audience measurement firm <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2024/womens-college-basketball-championship-draws-record-breaking-18-9-million-viewers/">Nielsen</a>. That was 28% more than the 14.8 million viewers for the men's matchup between Purdue University and the University of Connecticut.The year-to-year ratings can be influenced by which teams and players are participating. However, using data from Nielsen and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/ncaa-final-four-ratings-history-most-watched-games-cbs-tbs-nbc/">Sports Media Watch</a>, we can see that the shift in popularity has been building for years — starting slowly in the late 2010s, right before COVID-19, and picking up speed this decade.In 2015 and 2016, the men's championship game averaged 23 million viewers, nearly eight times the size of the women's final, with an average of 3 million. Over the next three years, the TV audience for the women's final grew by 23% to an average of 3.7 million.In the first two years following the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA basketball championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the women's final kept up momentum, growing by an average of 27%.In 2023 and 2024, the women's game reached new levels, surpassing the men's championships thanks to the surging star power of some of the biggest names in the sport. That includes players like Iowa's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/caitlin-clark-valuable-womens-college-basketball-player-2024-3">Caitlin Clark</a> — who appeared in both finals — and Louisiana State University's Angel Reese in 2023. Additionally, the University of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley this season.<h2>Women's basketball popularity goes beyond championship game ratings</h2>We have seen other evidence of women's college basketball's emerging dominance in the sports landscape.According to data provided to Business Insider by ticket marketplace StubHub, there was more demand for the women's three Final Four games than the men's, with sales surging 20% faster for the women's games than the men's once the teams were determined.In some cases, sale prices for the women's tickets were twice the cost of men's games.On the eve of the Final Four matchups, tickets to the women's championship game had an average sale price of $370, compared to $180 for the men's final, according to StubHub. The cost for a ticket that admitted a fan to the Final Four and the championship was $700 for the women and $540 for the men.Meanwhile, merchandise sales related to women's college basketball are also soaring.After Clark broke the all-time NCAA basketball scoring record <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-iowa-ncaa-record-8d2a9bc33a9fdc59177a5ca4fe7221a9">for men and women</a> this year, her merchandise at sports apparel retailer Fanatics became the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/21/business/caitlin-clark-jersey-sales/index.html">highest-selling ever for any college athlete</a>.And, in November, when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.si.com/fannation/name-image-likeness/news/nike-retail-jersey-launch-features-four-college-basketball-stars">Nike announced</a> it would be selling the college basketball jerseys of active players for the first time, three of the four inaugural athletes were women, including Clark, the University of Connecticut's Paige Bueckers, and freshman Juju Watkins of the University of Southern California. The only men's player was Bronny James from the University of Southern California, the son of LeBron James.<div type="image" title="JuJu Watkins" height="1667" width="2500" msid="109372638" hostid="261" sizebytes="184978"></div>We are also seeing evidence that the surge in the popularity of women's college basketball is also being felt at the next level, the WNBA.The league announced <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wnba.com/news/2023-season-record-breaking-success-recap">record levels of popularity for the 2023 season</a> in terms of TV viewership, attendance, and digital engagement. The growth of the TV audience was especially notable, as the WNBA's regular season saw a 21% increase compared to 2022.After Clark was drafted with the first pick in the WNBA draft on April 15 by the Indiana Fever, her jersey was sold out in most sizes on Fanatics in the first hour following the announcement, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1780055221525262444?s=61&amp;t=jasFVbhso1LhR_P-3kRSPA">Darren Rovell, founder of collectible media site Cllct</a>.<h2>The influence of NIL is being felt in women's sports</h2>The reasons behind the growth in popularity of women's basketball are likely multifaceted, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.teamwass.com/news/new-study-womens-sports-comprise-15-of-sports-media-coverage/#:~:text=A%20key%20figure%20revealed%20that,of%20streaming%20and%20social%20media.">increased media coverage</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Native/Isos/2023/August.aspx">investment in women's sports</a>.However, another factor could be the emergence of <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-college-athletes-are-getting-paid-from-nil-endorsement-deals">name, image, and likeness</a> (NIL) deals, in which college athletes can be compensated for endorsements and merchandise sales.In addition to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ncaa-march-madness-final-four-mens-womens-college-basketball-revenue-2024-4">increased exposure of star athletes to a broader audience</a>, many women college stars may be enticed to stay in college longer and grow their star power, said Bruce B. Siegal, a partner in the entertainment and sports practice group at the law firm Greenspoon Marder. The firm also counsels and represents the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://vanderbilthustler.com/2023/04/17/anchor-impact-fund-anchor-collective-consolidate-to-form-singular-vanderbilt-nil-collective/">Anchor Impact Fund</a>, a NIL collective that works with athletes at Vanderbilt University."I think that for a lot of athletes, it may take the pressure off to feel like you've got to go pro early," Siegal told Business Insider. "Why not continue in college knowing that you can earn revenue and help support yourself, help support your family, and most importantly, graduate and get the education."While the men's tournament still commands significant viewership, the rise in popularity of the women's tournament signals a promising future for women's basketball at all levels. As more fans tune in to watch the women's game, it creates a platform for female athletes to shine on a national stage and inspires future generations of young women to pursue their athletic dreams.Have you recently spent a lot of money to attend a women's sports event? Reach out to this reporter at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:cgaines@businessinsider.com">cgaines@businessinsider.com</a>.

One chart shows just how much women's college basketball ratings have soared while men's have dipped

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Women's college basketball popularity is up, but their revenue still lags behind the men's teams.</li><li>There is also a disparity in how much the women's teams competing in this year's Final Four earn</li></ul>The popularity of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ncaa-proposal-nil-college-athlete-pay-womens-sports-gender-equity-2023-12">women's college basketball</a> is soaring, but there is still a huge gap in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-sports-revenue-ncaa-ohio-state-buckeyes-texas-football-2024-1">how much money the teams make</a> compared to the men.The final four men's teams still competing to win the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/streaming/how-to-watch-march-madness-live-stream-tournament">NCAA Division I tournament</a> averaged $19.3 million in annual revenue in 2022, nearly four times as much as the four women's teams, which averaged $5.2 million, according to data from <a target="_blank" href="https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/">US Department of Education</a>. Data from fiscal year 2022 was the most recent year available.Major sources of income include conference television contracts divided among the member schools, NCAA championship competitions, sponsorships, and ticket sales.On the men's side, defending national champions the University of Connecticut reported $24.1 million in revenue in 2022, 56% more than North Carolina State, which produced $15.4 million, the lowest among the four teams in the 2024 men's Final Four.For the women, the University of South Carolina, which has won two national championships in the last seven years, led the way with $9.5 million. That is about 760% more than North Carolina State University, with the lowest revenue in the women's Final Four at $1.1 million.Revenue for the men's college basketball Final Four schools:<ol><li>University of Connecticut — $24.1 million</li><li>University of Alabama — $19.0 million</li><li>Purdue University — $18.9 million</li><li>North Carolina State University — $15.4 million</li></ol>Revenue for women's college basketball Final Four schools:<ol><li>University of South Carolina — $9.5 million</li><li>University of Connecticut — $8.5 million</li><li>University of Iowa — $1.7 million</li><li>North Carolina State University — $1.1 million</li></ol><h2>Star power will narrow the gap</h2>The good news for women's college basketball is that with stars like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/caitlin-clark-iowa-nil-value-compared-to-fellow-ncaa-athletes-2023-4">the University of Iowa's Caitlin Clark</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-angel-reese-lsu-womens-college-basketball-star-2023-4">Louisiana State University's Angel Reese</a>, University of Southern California's JuJu Watkins, and University of Connecticut's Paige Bueckers, more people are tuning in.Iowa's tournament win over LSU averaged 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen. What's more, only one of the first 64 games in the men's tournament had a bigger audience, with North Carolina State's win over Duke in the Elite Eight pulling in an average of 15.1 million viewers, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?disabled=1&amp;h=5afdbe651d082ca7964e032f288854c6ff4bb5ed19852820f5ac95b43a60b5e1&amp;postID=660ffed4c0360126a30bdeba&amp;postSlug=ncaa-march-madness-final-four-mens-womens-college-basketball-revenue-2024-4&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwomens-college-basketball%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F39862514%2Fiowa-lsu-rematch-shatters-tv-ratings-record-123m-viewers">according to ESPN.</a><div type="image" title="Angel Reese holds the ball during the national championship game." height="1667" width="2500" msid="109088157" hostid="261"></div>A lot of that newfound popularity for women's basketball can be attributed to the introduction of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-college-athletes-are-getting-paid-from-nil-endorsement-deals">name, image, and likeness</a> (NIL) deals, said Bruce B. Siegel, a partner in the entertainment and sports practice group at the law firm Greenspoon Marder. The firm also counsels and represents the <a target="_blank" href="https://vanderbilthustler.com/2023/04/17/anchor-impact-fund-anchor-collective-consolidate-to-form-singular-vanderbilt-nil-collective/">Anchor Impact Fund</a>, a NIL collective that works with athletes at Vanderbilt University.NIL deals allow college athletes to earn money for promoting products or companies."I think NIL played a very significant role because now you can truly see the ability of the Caitlin Clarks, the Angel Reeses, the Flau'jae Johnsons of the world, the JuJu Watkins," Siegel told Business Insider. "They can step out and be able to commercialize and be in commercials, be actively involved in social media, engage in sponsorships that really highlight them in a way that I think makes the whole fan experience a lot more exciting."<h2>It will take a while for the revenue gap to narrow</h2>With this surge in popularity, <a target="_blank" href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/technology-media-and-telecom-predictions/2024/tmt-predictions-professional-womens-sports-revenue.html">revenue for women's sports</a> could see large gains.The bad news is that any hope of narrowing the gap with men's sports will likely take a while to come to fruition.Many women's college basketball teams are setting records for attendance and could see a subsequent revenue boost from ticket, merchandise, and concession sales. For example, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/IowaWBB/status/1752381634928668875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1752381634928668875%7Ctwgr%5Ed900911698977c8c94786e943dd89989f329deb1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportingnews.com%2Fus%2Fncaa-basketball%2Fnews%2Fcaitlin-clark-effect-iowa-attendance-tv-ratings-jersey-sales%2Fe76006fbae042da44d634e24">30 of the 32 regular season games</a> for the University of Iowa's women's basketball team were played before a record-breaking or sold-out crowd. Schools that hosted the Hawkeyes <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-scoring-aaef3ceebb200a2dd326dc94371585c1">increased their game attendance by an average of 150%</a> compared to games against other schools, according to the Associated Press.<div type="image" title="Paige Bueckers" height="1667" width="2500" msid="109088357" hostid="261"></div>However, the biggest source of revenue for college sports teams is the TV contracts, and those will likely take longer to grow for women's teams.For example, the NCAA's television contract with ESPN to broadcast the championship events in 40 college sports, including women's basketball, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2024-01-04/espn-and-ncaa-reach-new-eight-year-media-rights-agreement">won't expire until 2032</a>. That deal is worth $115 million a year and must be shared among all the sports, although women's basketball generates the most revenue and will get the largest slice of the pie.Meanwhile, the NCAA sold the television rights to the men's basketball championship separately from the other sports. The deal for men's college basketball is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sportico.com/business/media/2024/ncaa-espn-tv-deal-1234761652/">worth more than $1.1 billion annually</a> and also goes through 2032.Those watching for the disparity in revenue between the women's and men's college basketball teams to narrow may have to be patient.Correction: April 6, 2024 — An earlier version of the story misstated two names of schools in the Final Four. The University of Iowa and the University of South Carolina are in the tournament.

The men's college basketball Final Four teams earn $19.3 million in revenue. The women's teams earn 27% of that. 

Caitlin Clark is the most valuable women's college basketball player. Here are all the ways she makes money for herself and her team.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>If elected, Kamala Harris would be the first female president of the United States.</li><li>Her presidency could have a far-reaching impact on businesswomen in leadership positions.</li></ul>If Vice President Kamala Harris ascends to the Oval Office, it could have a rippling impact on women in business everywhere.Only two weeks into her presidential campaign, Harris has garnered <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-win-with-black-women-zoom-event-2024-7">overwhelming support</a> from Democrats and narrowed former President Donald Trump's lead in swing states.It's reminiscent of the hopes many women held in 2016 when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced off against Trump. If it happens this time, it could usher in a new age for women in positions of power."Having a woman as president, I think, normalizes what women's leadership looks like across everything, whether that's the private sector, public sector, education, labor, business, military," Cynthia Richie Terrell, executive director of Represent Women, which advocates for women in politics, told Business Insider. "I think a lot becomes possible overnight."In the business world, companies with female CEOs outperform those led by men, according to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.weforum.org/videos/gender-balanced-companies-outperform-less-equal-ones/#:~:text=Companies%20with%20female%20CEOs%20outperformed,%2Dled%20ones%20by%2010.5%25.">World Economic Forum</a>. The same is true for women-led hedge funds and women-led startups.Despite that success, women now run just 10% of Fortune 500 companies, a record-high that has remained the same since 2023."Those companies where women had a higher share in the board and in leadership were more likely to be profitable, and I think there's a clear connection to women in government," Richie Terrell said. "Women tend to bring those same skills, the ability to multitask, the ability to build networks, the ability to listen, which we hear a lot of times that women have a greater ability to do that."Jennifer Jeronimo, the CEO of Gaingels, a venture capital firm that prioritizes investing in companies with diverse leadership, told BI that "visibility and representation are crucial.""One reason I believe women receive only 2% of venture capital funding is that over 80% of VC funds lack women in decision-making roles," Jeronimo said. "A woman president, one of the world's most powerful roles, could normalize women in positions of power in certain industries and lead to more female decision-makers in venture capital. Additionally, after Kamala Harris's endorsement by Biden, women rallied to raise millions overnight for her campaign, proving their willingness to fund what matters to them."While it's early in her campaign but less than <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-trump-presidential-election-100-days-swing-states-2024-7">100 days from the election</a>, Harris will likely appeal to women more than the Trump-Vance ticket. Among women, Harris is polling nearly 15 percentage points higher than Trump, according to a recent poll from The New York Times and Siena College.Her favorability is paying off by the millions. The Harris campaign announced it raised $310 million in July, 60% of which were donations from women, the Associated Press reported.Meanwhile, Trump has a history of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-might-trigger-trumps-biggest-vulnerability-women-2024-7">alienating women</a>, and his VP pick in JD Vance hasn't helped matters. His <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jd-vance-vice-president-democratic-leaders-childless-sociopaths-2021-email-2024-7">past comments</a> disparaging <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jd-vance-defended-his-childless-cat-ladies-comment-2024-7">"childless cat ladies"</a> have come back to haunt him.

A Kamala Harris presidency could be a game changer for women in business

<ul class="summary-list"><li>After deciding against a traditional college path, Clémentine Mollier became a boatbuilder.</li><li>She works on wooden boats and is the only one among her close friends in a trade job.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Clémentine Mollier, a 32-year-old shipwright living in Portsmouth, England. Business Insider verified her employment with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I grew up in France. After finishing high school, I decided to travel instead of going to university.I spent time in Australia, Asia, and Canada, volunteering and working minimum-wage jobs. I had a thirst for discovery and being away from home.When I returned to France at 26, I enrolled in a yearlong boatbuilding course. I've since spent six years as a boatbuilder and have no regrets about my decision not to go to university.My job is niche, but I think it has a place in the future.<h2 id="83976ede-a2cc-4aec-8ab9-704763209c63">My friends were all picking universities — I considered going to art school</h2>In France, going to university is relatively inexpensive because tuition is subsidized by the government.I felt pressured to pick a university like my friends but I struggled to choose a degree because I had so many interests. I considered studying philosophy or literature. Art school was also an option because I wanted to be an artist, but I'd heard it was hard to get a job after an art course.I love travel, so I settled on a private six-month flight attendant degree, funded through a loan from my parents. It was very different from a university course. Our classes were in a hotel's convention room and a training facility.I didn't become a flight attendant after completing the course. Instead, I <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-to-australia-no-regrets-cheaper-sunshine-2024-1">moved to Australia</a> and began traveling and doing odd jobs.After traveling through different countries for around six years, I returned to France in 2018. I had been working in retail in Canada and wasn't feeling fulfilled. I considered <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-welder-blue-collar-work-earning-getting-fit-2024-7">training in a skill</a>. I knew I liked to create things, so I looked into <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/construction-jobs-housing-skilled-trades-infrastructure-electricians-future-work-opportunities-2023-11">construction</a> and woodworking paths.I enrolled in a yearlong boatbuilding course, which was free because the government subsidized it. Now, I'm a full-time boatbuilder.I am somewhat sad I missed out on the university experience. I would have enjoyed attending lectures and living in a dorm. But I'm happy with the choice I made.<h2 id="a7cd8701-b1f3-4676-a979-4407dde47345">I can see myself progressing in my boatbuilding career</h2>On the course, we built a kayak and Norweigian Pram, a small clinker boat, to learn the different stages of building, like making frames and varnishing. It gave me an understanding of a boatbuilding job, but I was still inexperienced.We did multiple work placements as part of the course. I did a three-week placement in Portsmouth, England. They asked me to come back and work with them as a shipwright — working on wooden boats — when the course was over.We were restoring and building sailing boats. When I started, I felt like I knew nothing, but thankfully, I was surrounded by people willing to train me.I was the only woman in the workshop, which was a very male environment. My first reaction was to mimic their behavior. We had good fun, but I felt like I wasn't being myself. I'm passionate about paving the way for women in the industry.I stayed in that job for four and a half years, then moved to Costa Rica for three months and worked on wooden cargo ships before returning to Portsmouth. I've been working at the National Museum of the Royal Navy for the past five months.My team is restoring the HMS Victory, an 18th-century warship. The project is meant to last 10 years, but I'm not sure how long I'll stay.It's the first time I've collaborated with a conservation team and considered the significance of every piece of the ship.I'm very happy in my career and can see myself progressing, especially in the job I'm in now. As a boatbuilder, I earn enough to afford a comfortable but modest lifestyle. I can cover rent and save for holidays, but a managerial role would pay better.The hierarchy is quite flat in a boatyard setting, but at the museum, we have lead shipwrights and a master shipwright, so there are options for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-move-up-the-career-ladder-without-being-a-brown-noser-2013-7">moving up the ladder</a>.I'd like to eventually work in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/became-manager-before-i-was-prepared-what-wish-i-knew-2020-9">management position</a>.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-neurosurgeon-mom-demanding-job-parenting-2024-6">job is physically demanding</a>. You're on your feet all day, and you're carrying things. Initially I didn't think I'd be able to hack it until retirement, but in my museum job, there's machinery to lift things, making me think I could stay in this career longer.<h2 id="a790b1fc-1bb6-4d2f-855a-7d0c0dd99804">I'm more suited to my trade job than a corporate setting</h2>None of my close friends do a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mechanic-college-blue-collar-tesla-stigma-2024-6">trade job</a>. I don't tend to compare myself to others, but I think I'm just as happy and fulfilled as my friends.If you define success in terms of money, this isn't the career for you, but I don't regret my decision. My friends sometimes envy my job because I can do things for myself, like building furniture.Before boatbuilding, I briefly worked as a receptionist. I enjoyed wearing nice clothes and heels to work, but it wasn't for me. I need to be outside and moving.More people are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-collar-job-demand-growth-white-collar-layoffs-ai-2024-5">moving into trade jobs</a>. Some people at my current workplace changed careers after being teachers and bankers. People want to use their hands more.I have a niche job, but I think it has a place in the future. I'm personally seeing a demand in the UK among people who are passionate about maintaining and building wooden boats.I don't see the industry exploding and everyone wanting to enter it, but I still see a future in it.Do you have a story about choosing a career in the trades that you want to share? Email <a target="_blank" href="mailto:ccheong@businessinsider.com">ccheong@businessinsider.com</a>

I skipped college and became a boatbuilder. My friends who aren't in trade jobs envy me. 

<keyword id="20525016" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Caitlin-Clark" source="keywords">Caitlin Clark</keyword>, a 22-year-old Iowa graduate, is having an unusual start to professional life. Her star rose fast in college. She became the leading basketball scorer in NCAA history — for men and women — and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/caitlin-clark-iowa-strength-training-improvement-2023-season-2023-3">smashed all kinds of other records</a>, drawing legions of new fans and also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/business/caitlin-clark-wilson-basketball-deal/index.html">historic partnership deals</a>. Since being drafted into the <keyword id="20896960" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WNBA" source="keywords">WNBA</keyword> in April as the No. 1 overall pick, Clark is having an impressive, albeit inconsistent, rookie campaign. She has struggled at times with the increased physicality at this level, which is extremely normal. But nothing that Clark does — or that is done to Clark — is treated as normal. On Sunday, Clark was flagrant-fouled by the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese in the third quarter, and it made headline news on CNN, Fox News, ESPN, Bleacher Report, and even <a target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2024/06/angel-reese-flagrant-foul-caitlin-clark-1235974988/">Deadline</a>, the Hollywood news site. That was just the latest bulletin in a months-long news cycle trailing everything Clark does. ESPN's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=5dfd1603b360c308dabac9bedad0a8dffaa631c279bb45f715b8724a98013005&amp;postID=6671adcfb38735ca9df3934c&amp;postSlug=caitlin-clark-is-a-rorschach-test-for-sports-media-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fvideo%2Fclip%2F_%2Fid%2F40275745">Stephen A. Smith</a> said WNBA players should go easier on Clark in games if they want to keep up record viewership: "Protect the golden goose." When Clark was not picked for the Olympic team in June — likely because of Team USA's depth at the guard position and Clark's lack of international experience — Republican governor Nikki Haley, a Republican former governor of South Carolina, <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/nikkihaley/status/1799866622947033259?s=46">tweeted in outrage:</a> "I think the Olympic selection committee should be asked do we want the best team to represent our country or not?" After Clark was hard-fouled in a recent game, a GOP congressman from Indiana wrote an open letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, asking her to do something about "<a target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2024/06/05/sports/congressman-asks-wnba-to-curb-physical-play-on-caitlin-clark/amp/">excessive</a>" physical play. He said Clark's "exceptionalism" was being met with "resentment and repeated attacks from fellow players." <div type="image" title="Caitlin Clark just signed a deal with Wilson, the basketball manufacturer — a first for any athlete since Michael Jordan" height="683" width="1024" msid="111114748" hostid="261"></div>All this attention positions Clark as the de facto face of the WNBA, which is predominantly Black with a strong and vocal LGBTQ population. Clark, herself, largely stays out of it. She doesn't comment on the uproar, except to say she's focused on playing basketball. And yet, her name has become a kerosene canister to inflame a thinly-veiled debate about race, gender, and representation in America. These days, watching Caitlin Clark play basketball has become a <keyword id="8151448" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rorschach-test" source="Orion">Rorschach test</keyword> for a deeply divided country. <h2>How Caitlin Clark become the center of a <keyword id="22159409" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="culture-war" source="keywords">culture war</keyword></h2>Being a female athlete is inherently an act of <keyword id="22159411" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="political-defiance" source="keywords">political defiance</keyword>. In the US, it took a 1972 law about <keyword id="20250318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-equality" source="keywords">gender equality</keyword> in education, Title IX, to inadvertently drag public institutions kicking and screaming into providing resources for women's sport, and many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sportico.com/leagues/college-sports/2024/college-title-ix-gender-equity-compliance-gao-report-1234778480/">remain noncompliant today</a>. Because of this, activism and <keyword id="22159410" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="womens-sports" source="keywords">women's sports</keyword> often go hand-in-hand, with champions fighting not just for medals, but for <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=a89402223e6e64f8c64060e4dd7b87e23022d945b5a149b1882d86a67aa49483&amp;postID=6671adcfb38735ca9df3934c&amp;postSlug=caitlin-clark-is-a-rorschach-test-for-sports-media-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fsoccer%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F38129076%2Fequal-pay-explainer-uswnt-prize-money-women-world-cup">equal pay</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=d3cf5ae83bb8e7ea1eacc1579fe6da13716b037224542a447519999f8efcde48&amp;postID=6671adcfb38735ca9df3934c&amp;postSlug=caitlin-clark-is-a-rorschach-test-for-sports-media-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwnba%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F29418977%2Fwnba-players-wear-jerseys-names-women-killed">racial</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2167985/pride-month-navratilova-king-and-the-90-days-that-shook-women-s-tennis">LGBTQ equality</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/opinion/allyson-felix-pregnancy-nike.html">maternal rights</a>. Four years ago, WNBA players actually helped<a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/first-person/22221250/georgia-election-results-senate-warnock-ossoff-wnba-elizabeth-williams"> flip a Senate seat in Georgia</a>. In recent years, we've seen some outspoken <keyword id="20958966" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="female-athletes" source="keywords">female athletes</keyword> used as props to push political agendas, most notably Megan Rapinoe, the women's soccer player who became a target for her outspoken hatred of Donald Trump, and Brittney Griner, the WNBA player who was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia for most of 2022. Clark is different. She, herself, does not talk politics. She shoots threes and dishes dimes. She attends her contractual media interviews, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/sports/basketball/caitlin-clark-nike-deal-415ee8ec">fields offers from the world's biggest shoe brands</a> who have been trying to partner with her since she was at school. But it's getting tougher for Clark (and the rest of the WNBA) to focus on work alone. Fouls that wouldn't even be a footnote in NBA coverage — fouls that other women across the WNBA commit and take every game — are suddenly talking points. Male sports commentators who have never given the WNBA airtime are dedicating<a target="_blank" href="https://www.the-sun.com/sport/11661889/angel-reese-skip-bayless-undisputed-caitlin-clark-wnba/"> multiple </a><a target="_blank" href="https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/stephen-a-smith-players-jealous-caitlin-clark.html">segments</a> to Clark's Black opponents, calling them jealous bullies who are out to hurt her. Matt Leinart, a former football player-turned-media personality, <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/MattLeinartQB/status/1802403432076296466">said</a> on X that the WNBA should suspend Reese for an unintentional foul because it was "bad for the game." ESPN's Pat McAfee, a football pundit, compared Clark to Eminem in an inflammatory rant, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.si.com/wnba/pat-mcafee-caitlin-clark-controversial-rant">saying</a> that people don't want to give her credit because she's white. Last week, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=47bdb23dc6e6a8ccd55b14f47741d5dc6d6aabbe15a67b9047e0027724fb0486&amp;postID=6671adcfb38735ca9df3934c&amp;postSlug=caitlin-clark-is-a-rorschach-test-for-sports-media-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwnba%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F40288404%2Fsecurity-steps-man-sky-chennedy-carter-team-hotel">security had to intervene</a> whenChennedy Carter, a Chicago Sky player, was confronted by a man outside a hotel in Washington, DC. The man was demanding to know if Carter had reached out to Clark after hard-fouling her in a recent game — a play that, while excessive, was overdramatized by a GOP congressman to issue a formal complaint to the WNBA. Fellow WNBA players started making statements, calling for the firestorm to stop. Many Black players, including Clark's own teammates, <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/_Breezy_Briii/status/1798537220628107660">spoke up</a> about experiencing excessive racist abuse on social media in recent weeks. When <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5563352/2024/06/14/caitlin-clark-wnba-indiana-fever-dijonai-carrington-basketball/">asked</a> about her name being used "as a weapon in the culture wars dividing the country," Clark initially side-stepped the question. "I don't see it. That's not where my focus is," she said. "My focus is here and on basketball. That's where it needs to be, that's where it has been, and I'm just trying to get better on a daily basis." Some WNBA fans and players took issue with that response. "Silence is a luxury," Connecticut Sun forward Dijonai Carrington <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/DijonaiVictoria/status/1801356856985850161">wrote on X</a>. Carrington vocalized a brewing frustration about one (white, straight) rookie being awarded more mainstream credit, plaudits, and sympathy than we've ever really seen in the WNBA's existence. <div type="image" title="Chicago Sky" height="683" width="1024" msid="111114742" hostid="261"></div>Black women built, sustained, at times even saved the WNBA during its first 28 years. Their stories often go untold: a study found that in 2020, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.powerplays.news/p/racisms-central-role-in-wnba-coverage">four of the five most talked about WNBA players</a> in the media were white, despite 80% of the postseason awards being won by Black players. And their compensation falls short, too. Media fanfare propelled Clarkinto a historic $28 million deal with Nike, which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/sports/basketball/caitlin-clark-nike-deal-415ee8ec">reportedly came with a signature shoe</a>— a huge moment for women's basketball, but one that stoked controversy because the only other two WNBA players with signature shoes, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, are also white. (Two weeks later, Nike said A'ja Wilson, a Black two-time MVP who has been with Nike since she was the top draft pick in 2018, will have a signature shoe in 2025.) The hope that this new era of WNBA fandom could be everything for everyone is turning into exasperation. <h2>This all says more about commentators than it does about Clark</h2> <div type="image" title="Caitlin Clark is in a unique position, thrust into a role of advocate and spokesperson for the WNBA." height="683" width="1024" msid="111114752" hostid="261"></div>The chaotic coverage of Clark doesn't tell us much about her or the league. It does underscore that the sports media ecosystem is wholly unprepared for the rise of women's basketball. Even before Clark, the price of the WNBA's media rights deal was expected to double in 2025, bringing a game-changing influx of cash to the table — money that can turn salaries from livable to luxurious, and investments into profit. But this moment, which has been building for decades, is being undercut by commentators and brands who are fixated on Clark. While there's no doubt her exceptional skill is a big reason why <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=854d906b2c55a75f0a812ef8aca1a188c38bcd7da3106113ddd163fc78b1aa5c&amp;postID=6671adcfb38735ca9df3934c&amp;postSlug=caitlin-clark-is-a-rorschach-test-for-sports-media-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fwnba%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F40326422%2Fwnba-earns-record-tv-ratings-1st-month-record-attendance">ratings nearly tripled</a> during the first month of the season, it doesn't do Clark or the WNBA any favors to paint her as a precious legend in a league of her own who needs to be protected. All these projections — from Clark's supporters and detractors — infantilize every player on the court. She is strong, and played the best game of her WNBA career so far on Sunday. She's working hard to diversify her game, to adjust to the next level, on and off the court. In one of her most recent interviews, Clark got more direct than ever. "Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect," Clark told James Boyd of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5564661/2024/06/14/caitlin-clark-agenda-comments/">The Athletic</a>. "The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect, so people should not be using my name to push those agendas." She's growing. It's time for the rest of us to do the same. Correction: June 20, 2024 — This story was updated to clarify that Nikki Haley is a former governor of South Carolina, not the current one.

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