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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Soula app has an AI chatbot, Dua, that aids mothers with postpartum depression support.</li><li>AI chatbots like Dua aim to reduce healthcare burdens and improve mental health access.</li></ul>Caring for a month-old newborn and two-year-old son felt overwhelming for LeRonika Francis.During her first postpartum period, Francis said she experienced a heavy wave of depression while dealing with a baby with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/parenting/why-is-my-newborn-crying">colic</a>. She ultimately sought the help of a counselor. It was not until her most recent pregnancy that she also started to use an AI chatbot on the fem-tech app Soula, which she said helped with reducing depressive symptoms and reassuring her about her mental health."It tells me: 'Welcome back, LeRonika. Your reactions are natural,'" said Francis, who is based in New Iberia, Louisiana.The AI chatbot called "Dua" also sent her some videos that she could watch about self-hugging, a practice that could reduce stress levels."I feel like Dua is there more than anything. It really showed me: OK, this is what you could do. Make sure you make time for yourself, too, because that's important as well," said Francis.Soula was co-founded by Natallia Miranchuk and Andrei Kulik, who conceptualized a 24/7 AI doula that could close the gap in mental health support for mothers during pregnancy and postpartum periods. Rather than replacing medical providers, apps such as Soula aim to increase broader access to maternal healthcare. Healthcare providers said that these apps could also help reduce the burden on the healthcare system, where wait times can be long and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-nurses-strike-labor-union-staffing-shortage-covid-2023-1">workers face burnout</a>.Business Insider spoke with OB/GYN doctors and doulas, who largely welcomed the rise in AI chatbots because they can make information more accessible to patients.According to data obtained from Sensor Tower, Soula now has more than 35,000 downloads. The startup has fundraised over $750,000 and is backed by investors such as Andrey Mikhaylyuk, the former vice president of product at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unicorn-pitch-deck-flo-health-raises-200-million-series-c-2024-7">Flo Health</a>, a period tracking app.Miranchuk told BI that her experiences as a single mother of two and her work as a former maternity photographer inspired her to develop a supportive app for women. Initially conceptualized as a hub to connect doulas worldwide to those in need, the generative AI boom shifted the startup's focus to integrating a chatbot that could serve more populations."Women are shy to ask questions, even in the community, because they have the feeling that maybe 'as a mom, I should have known that, but I don't.' And she doesn't know where to go," Miranchuk said.The ease of customizing ChatGPT has spurred a wave of new AI-based chatbots like Soula. According to Sensor Tower, the companion apps <a target="_blank" href="http://Character.ai">Character.ai</a>, Talkie, and Paradot have more than 73 million collective downloads, soaring more than 130% between 2023 and 2024. AI therapy apps such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wysa-mental-health-startup-raises-fresh-vc-funding-expand-coverage-2021-5">Wysa</a> and Woebot received over 1 million downloads, the data said.Corenia Smith, director of the Birth Justice Collaborative in Minnesota, said that while popularizing tools like chatbots can help broaden healthcare access, it is important to avoid a "one size fits all" and ensure that AI can reflect the communities it serves."There are cultural practices that exist and have existed for thousands of years that people still use," Smith said. "A human could talk about all their experience and what they've seen and give referrals. When you reach that limitation with an AI, it has to have the ability to hand over care or make a referral in a way where people don't feel dropped."<h2 id="245c9b56-b4a4-4a1a-abbc-5f6bbf950f49">The role of a doula</h2>The AI chatbot Dua aims to function like a doula, providing mothers with information about the pregnancy experience during a time of transition.Doulas are trained professionals who can provide non-medical, continuous physical, emotional, and information support for women before, during, and after childbirth, helping to <a target="_blank" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10292163/">reduce</a> mental health-related morbidity for the mother and reduce infant mortality rates.Access to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/reproductive-health/what-is-a-doula">doulas</a> can be costly. While there's Medicaid coverage for doulas in several states, not all private health insurance plans cover these expenses. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613821003120">Long wait times and socioeconomic inequality</a> also contribute to increased levels of stress and lack of healthcare usage among mothers and pregnant people."Traditionally, it's been something that's been available only to folks with a lot of money and a lot of resources. The people that benefit the most from doula care are those that might not trust the healthcare system," said Dr. Devon Rupley, an attending physician and OB/GYN specialist at NYC Health. "That tends to be people of color who've had previously negative experiences with racism and bias that can really harm their experience in the healthcare system generally."Rupley added that using an AI healthcare app to address basic questions can allow patients to spend higher-quality time with doctors by asking high-level questions and discussing their healthcare issues.<div type="image" title="Dua, an AI chatbot, talks to the user with texts." height="3000" width="4000" msid="114502558" hostid="261" sizebytes="72158"></div><h2 id="7b015d0f-002f-4d99-8f8d-2ae73851d6bc">How to design an empathetic AI chatbot</h2>Soula enlisted real-life doulas to help train its chatbot and strike the right tone."We can't create it to be as personable as talking to a real-life person, but we can try to create that as much as possible," said Lexi Pacheco, a doula from Arizona who worked to help refine the dialogue in Soula's chatbot Dua. For $22 per hour, she helped improve the chatbot by using it "hand-in-hand" during her pregnancies, adding in her expertise.While asking questions on Google could yield more informational responses, Pacheco said mothers would want something that provided "more of that reassurance that Google wouldn't."For Armani Grant, a Soula user who became pregnant at 18, Google felt overwhelming. The chatbot allowed her to ask questions that she wouldn't feel comfortable asking her mother. Pacheco said many women she's worked with reported similar experiences."They might even feel incompetent to ask the question, which no woman should ever feel, but with my history of working with people, they definitely tend to revert to: I'm sorry, I'm asking this question for some reason, and that might just be because of the societal pressure that more medicalized doctors have put on people that they don't give the time and day to us," Pacheco said.The app isn't meant to completely replace a doula. Moreover, retention rates of AI healthcare chatbots can be low, said Johannes Eichstaedt, a computational social scientist and assistant professor of psychology at Stanford University. The high dropout rates for healthcare apps are "an elephant in the room," he said.At the same time, Pacheco said AI bots can help "calm nerves" and fill the gaps when patients feel they are "bothering" their healthcare providers."AI isn't like a healthcare provider to give you guidance, but it's supposed to be there to give you a little bit more comfort," Pacheco said.

The AI app Soula seeks to improve healthcare access for pregnant women

<ul class="summary-list"><li>More women under 50 are getting breast cancer, an American Cancer Society report found.</li><li>The reasons are complex, but breastfeeding and fertility may play a small role on a population-wide level.</li></ul>More women under 50 are getting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/breast-cancer-symptoms">breast cancer</a> in the US, and lifestyle factors such as not breastfeeding and having children later in life may be contributing, a cancer expert told Business Insider.Being physically inactive, having a poor diet, drinking alcohol, and smoking are all risk factors for breast cancer, but the rise in younger women in particular might be linked to fertility, said Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, co-author of a new American Cancer Society <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/breast-cancer-facts-figures.html">report</a> on the prevalence of the disease published on Tuesday. Other cancers, including colon and cervical, are also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-reduce-cancer-risk-lower-chances-catch-early-signs-2024-2">rising in younger people</a>, putting extra stress on the so-called <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sandwich-generation-mom-emotional-burnout-2023-10">sandwich generation</a>, who are of working and reproductive age and often have caring responsibilities for both young children and aging parents.<h2 id="ce17f4fe-8de2-42d4-a4b5-764c9bc030cc">Breast cancer deaths are dropping, but cases are rising in younger women </h2>Breast cancer deaths declined by 44% between 1989 and 2022, translating to 517,900 fewer deaths, largely due to<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/how-to-check-for-breast-cancer"> earlier detection</a> and advances in treatment, the report found. But rates of breast cancer rose by 1% each year between 2012 and 2021, with the rise being steepest for women younger than 50 at 1.4%.It's important to note, however, that the absolute risk for this group is still low. Only around 6.5 women in their 20s out of 100,000 will receive a breast cancer diagnosis, the report found.Jemal, who is also senior vice president of Surveillance and Health Equity Science at the ACS, called this increase "concerning" but added that the disease is often treatable and prevention is key."Prevention of risk factors substantially reduces the risk of breast cancer," he said, as well as following government guidelines to have a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mammograms-screen-for-dense-breasts-spot-hidden-cancers-2024-9">mammogram</a> every two years starting at age 40.The ACS report, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, used data on cancer rates and deaths from the CDC, National Cancer Institute, and National Center for Health Statistics.Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in US women. The report estimated that in 2024, around 310,720 new cases will be diagnosed, and around 42,250 women will die from the disease. Men can also get breast cancer, although it is rare.The link between breast cancer and having children is complex, but certain factors, like the age at which a woman has a child, can impact the risk, Jemal said.Dr. Hannah Moody, head of science and health education at the charity Breast Cancer UK, sought to allay the fears of women who fall into those categories. "Yes, breastfeeding and having children younger may help to reduce your risk of breast cancer. But that alone isn't why rates are increasing," she said, adding that lifestyle and environmental factors also play a role in the increased number of cases. However, documenting such trends can help experts such as epidemiologists understand cancer rates at a population-wide level, and shouldn't be a cause for concern.<h2 id="a6484446-435a-493b-acd0-a7f11c2c9fb4">Breastfeeding</h2>Breastfeeding has a protective effect against breast cancer, Jemal said, but rates have declined in the US over time.The CDC recommends exclusively breastfeeding babies for the first six months of their lives and breastfeeding alongside complementary foods for at least a year. But only one in four US infants were exclusively breastfed for more than six months in 2019, a 2023 study published in Frontiers in Public Health found.The risk of breast cancer decreases by around 4% for every 12 months of breastfeeding, according to Breast Cancer UK.A possible explanation is that breastfeeding reduces a person's total number of lifetime menstrual cycles. The more cycles they have, the greater their exposure to the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which are linked to a higher breast cancer risk, according to the ACS.<h2 id="a6232ea3-183b-444e-bca1-8aaa70531b0c">Not having children or having children later in life</h2>More and more people are deciding not to have children or to have them later in life, as shown by the rise in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parents-dinks-winning-childfree-economy-finances-income-vacation-retirement-kids-2024-2">DINKs</a>.According to a 2022 report from the US Census Bureau, fertility rates among women in their 20s fell by 43% between 1990 and 2019, while those of women ages 35 to 39 increased by 67%.And in 2023, 47% of US adults under 50 without children said they were unlikely to ever have them, compared to 37% in 2018, according to a Pew Research Center survey.This drop in fertility rates may have contributed to the rise in younger women getting breast cancer because having children later in life is an established risk factor, Jemal said.Women who have not had children or who had their first child after age 30 have a slightly higher breast cancer risk overall, according to the ACS. Meanwhile, having many pregnancies and becoming pregnant at a young age reduces breast cancer risk.

Breast cancer is on the rise in women under 50. It could be linked to 2 lifestyle factors.

In her <keyword id="19906106" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Interim-Budget" source="keywords">Interim Budget</keyword> speech in February 2024, <keyword id="20385790" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Finance-Minister" source="keywords">Union Finance Minister</keyword> <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> celebrated what she termed as the Modi government's landmark achievement: unleashing 'nari shakti' or women's power through various initiatives since 2014. Among these, the creation of one crore 'Lakhpati Didis' — women whose annual household income exceeds one lakh rupees — under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), has garnered significant attention. <h2>The hype around it </h2>Imagine being a <keyword id="20416259" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lakhpati-Didi" source="keywords">Lakhpati Didi</keyword> — a rural woman whose annual household income exceeds Rs. 1 lakh. These women are not just financial achievers; they are community leaders who inspire others through their entrepreneurial journeys. Their success stories highlight the transformative impact of self-help groups (SHGs) and collective action in rural India. Launched amid much fanfare on August 15, 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, the 'Lakhpati Didi' scheme aims to empower women through diverse skill development programs, from producing LED bulbs to operating agricultural drones. Partnering with entities like Patanjali, Flipkart, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the initiative also focuses on branding and marketing these products, ostensibly connecting women with credit lines and MUDRA loans for financial support. Almost an year on, the scheme is all set to get some well-deserved boost in the Budget 2024 to be presented on July 23. However, the time also apt to examine if it has actually contributed to <keyword id="20009191" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="women-empowerment" source="keywords">women empowerment</keyword> in the country. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111915324" title="Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to table Economic Survey in Parliament today" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>The reality check </h2>Critics argue that such schemes may inadvertently tether women's SHGs to corporate networks, potentially benefiting transnational agribusiness giants aligned with the government. Programs like 'Namo Drone Didi', allocated Rs. 500 crore in the Interim Budget, exemplify this trend by integrating women into digital agriculture, albeit under the influence of corporate agendas. Further, while the Interim Budget championed the narrative of women's economic prosperity, it failed to adequately address their basic needs. Despite claims of empowerment, essential schemes such as PM Awas Yojana (Rural) and Har Ghar Jal have seen significant budgetary underspending, raising concerns about the government's commitment to women's welfare beyond mere rhetoric. For instance, the underutilisation of funds in Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and the shrinking allocations for crucial subsidies like nutrition and education further highlight the disconnect between budgetary outlays and on-ground impact. This trend suggests a shift in responsibility towards state governments without commensurate support from the Union government, leaving vulnerable populations like widows and rural women at risk. Overall, the well-intentioned narrative around the scheme needs better translation and execution on ground to achieve desired outcomes. <h2>Looking ahead </h2>Until now, the budgetary allocation for women-centric programs have remained disproportionately low, with the Ministry of Women and Child Development having been allocated Rs 26,000 crore in 2024-25, an increase of 2.52% compared to the previous budget. This paltry investment underscores a broader pattern of neglecting systemic issues such as gender-based violence, social discrimination and pro-corporate stance. As Budget 2024 approaches, stakeholders eagerly anticipate policies that not only boost economic growth but also empower rural women as entrepreneurs and leaders. While Lakhpati Didi stands poised to empower rural women with opportunities and support, more steps are needed to make it more sustainable. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111689743" title="Union Budget 2024: A handy FAQ guide to decode the upcoming budget" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Budget 2024: Can Lakhpati Didi Yojana’s reality inspire better focus on women?

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-sick-leave-pto-mental-health-work-from-home-2024-8">Gen Z</a> has different leisure and spending habits from the rest of the population.</li><li>A report from Morning Consult also breaks down differences in Gen Z men's and women's preferences.</li></ul>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-gender-gap-young-men-women-dont-agree-politics-2024-1">growing political divide between Gen Z men and women</a> is no secret, but it turns out they also have big differences as consumers.A Morning Consult <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://pro.morningconsult.com/analyst-reports/a-brands-guide-to-gen-z-men-and-women">report</a> released Wednesday highlighted the gender divergence among young people when it comes to leisure activities and spending habits.In <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-millennials-popularity-instagram-youtube-social-media-2024-7">social media</a>, for example, Gen Z women lean towards photo- and video-based platforms like Pinterest and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-qvc-livestreams-beauty-youtube-jeffree-star-tati-westbrook-2024-7">TikTok</a>, while Gen Z men prefer text-based sites like Reddit and X, formerly known as Twitter.<div type="image" title="Morning Consult graph of Gen Z men and women social media and streaming platform preferences" height="1136" width="1592" msid="112991417" hostid="261" sizebytes="37832"></div>While Reddit "has always been a very male space," X has "taken on a very masculine brand, look, and feel" <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter">since Musk bought the platform in October 2022</a>, Ellyn Briggs, a brand analyst at Morning Consult, said.TikTok, meanwhile, has "so many formats that perform extremely well for women audiences," such as get-ready-with-me or day-in-the-life videos, she added.The report also highlighted differences in motivations and attitudes that affect <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fed-interest-rate-cut-outlook-september-labor-nonfarm-retail-consumer-2024-8">consumer spending</a>.<div type="image" title="Morning Consult graph of Gen Z men and women shopping habits and motivations" height="928" width="2384" msid="112991415" hostid="261" sizebytes="58944"></div>"It's not super surprising that the things like being among the first to try technology or feeling competitive are more masculine-identifying traits," said Briggs.However, Gen Z women's answers showed they were "more likely to identify with communal ideals like close friendship, gift-giving and putting others' needs before their own" and were "compelled by community," the report said.That seems to fit with recent trends like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/outfit-inspiration-watching-barbie-movie-tiktok-2023-7">dressing up to attend "Barbie" movie showings</a> or Taylor Swift concerts, or the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-women-forming-book-clubs-to-combat-loneliness-2024-3">resurgence of book clubs</a>, for example."Women are looking for community as an option for how to spend their time and set up their lives," Briggs said. "So I think that any company, organization, brand that can deliver a communal experience feeling to women audiences is certainly something they'd want to engage in."

Gen Z men and women spend their money and free time very differently

In the Pindwara village of Rajasthan, a grassroots-level initiative led by local women has transformed the community's approach to nutrition. The women, part of a self-help group, began cultivating kitchen gardens to ensure a steady supply of diverse and nutritious food for their families. These gardens now yield various fruits and vegetables, contributing to a balanced diet and reducing the community's dependence on market-bought, often less nutritious food items. This initiative has improved health and empower women by giving them control over their family's nutrition. Similarly, in the tribal regions of Chhattisgarh, a collective effort by local community leaders has revitalized traditional agricultural practices. The community has reintroduced indigenous crops like millets and pulses, which are more resilient to the changing climate and require fewer resources to cultivate. These crops are rich in essential nutrients and have historically been part of the local diet. The community's efforts have not only preserved these traditional foods but also improved the nutritional status of the population, particularly children and women. These <keyword id="22748061" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="community-led" source="keywords">community-led</keyword> initiatives are part of a broader pattern observed in a recent study on <keyword id="22747862" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diet-diversity" source="keywords">diet diversity</keyword> in <keyword id="20109648" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rural-India" source="keywords">rural India</keyword>. The qualitative study by NGO Vitamin Angels India and supported by UNICEF, conducted across several states, found that communities with strong local leadership and grassroots initiatives showed significant improvements in diet diversity and nutritional outcomes. According to government data, about 17% of children in the age group of 0-5 years are underweight, while 36% are stunted and 6% are wasted (too thin for their height, indicating acute malnutrition). Stunted, wasted, and underweight are key indicators of malnutrition in children aged 0-5 years. The research highlighted that while government programs and interventions are essential, the involvement and initiative of the community are critical to the success and sustainability of these efforts. One of the key findings of the study was that communities with active local participation in nutrition-related activities, such as kitchen gardening and the cultivation of traditional crops, had a higher intake of diverse and nutritious food. The research, which employed a mix of focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and home observations, reveals how collective and individual contexts -- ranging from socio-cultural norms to economic challenges -- influence dietary practices across different communities like the brick-kiln workers, fishers, and salt pan workers among others. This was particularly evident in regions where women played a central role in these initiatives. The study also noted that these communities were more resilient to food insecurity and were better able to cope with economic and environmental challenges. For example, the study looked into the lives of salt pan workers in Jodhpur who prioritize their children's nutrition despite financial hardships. They ensure that their children never go hungry, even if it means offering biscuits or bread-milk. It suggested that while government initiatives provide the necessary framework and resources, real change happens when communities take ownership of these programmes and adapt them to their local contexts. To enhance the effectiveness of nutritional interventions for pregnant women and children under five, several key recommendations emerge from the study. First, there is a critical need to strengthen the role of ASHA and Anganwadi workers, who are often the primary source of health information in many communities. By providing these workers with advanced training that equips them to offer tailored advice based on the specific socio-cultural and economic contexts of the families they serve, the reach and impact of nutritional programs can be significantly increased. Subsidies for essential complementary foods are another vital measure to address the financial barriers that many families face. These subsidies would ensure that even in economically disadvantaged households, children receive the necessary nutrients during crucial developmental stages, the study recommended. Additionally, promoting a blend of legacy knowledge with modern nutritional insights can lead to more culturally acceptable and effective practices. Health education programs that respect and incorporate local beliefs while introducing scientifically backed practices are likely to be more successful in achieving sustainable behavioral change. Support for maternal health is also paramount. Implementing programs that provide additional food or rest for pregnant women, particularly during the last trimester, can have a positive impact on both maternal and child health outcomes. These programs should be designed with an understanding of local familial structures and dynamics, ensuring that they are accessible and acceptable within the community. Community-based nutritional programs should be developed to emphasize the importance of child nutrition and encourage collective action. Workshops and informational sessions led by trusted community members or healthcare professionals can play a crucial role in disseminating knowledge and encouraging healthy practices. Finally, improving access to fresh and nutritious food, particularly in remote or economically disadvantaged areas, is essential. This could involve initiatives such as creating community gardens, improving market access, or providing transportation subsidies to reach markets with a wider variety of foods.

Community-led nutrition initiatives in rural India can boost diet diversity, empower women, says study

Women with hormonal condition <keyword id="20290460" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="PCOS" source="keywords">PCOS</keyword> could be at about 50% more risk of developing <keyword id="20066093" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="eating-disorders" source="keywords">eating disorders</keyword>, including bingeing, according to a new study. Affecting roughly one in eight to 10 women in their reproductive ages globally, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is marked by higher-than-usual testosterone levels and related symptoms, including irregular menstrual cycles and excess body hair. The analysis is the first to confirm "an increased risk of specific eating disorders, including <keyword id="22729705" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bulimia" source="keywords">bulimia</keyword> nervosa, commonly called bulimia, and binge eating disorder" among women affected by the hormonal condition, according to first author Laura Cooney, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, US. Bulimia is marked by episodes of binge-eating, followed by resorting to means to avoid weight gain, which can include induced vomiting, excessive exercising or fasting. Women having PCOS are known to be at a higher risk of experiencing <keyword id="19946458" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="metabolic-disorders" source="keywords">metabolic disorders</keyword>, such as diabetes, and <keyword id="22729706" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reproductive-issues" source="keywords">reproductive issues</keyword>, including infertility. "Many women with PCOS experience weight stigma, and that can be detrimental to mental health generally, and contribute to disordered eating," Cooney said. For the study, published in The <keyword id="22729707" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="journal-of-clinical-endocrinology-and-metabolism" source="keywords">Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism</keyword>, the authors looked at results from 20 cross-sectional studies across nine countries. Data from close to 29,000 women with PCOS and over 2.5 lakh women not having the condition were included in the analysis. "Individuals with PCOS had higher odds of any eating disorder, which persisted in studies where PCOS was diagnosed by Rotterdam criteria," the authors wrote. According to the Rotterdam criteria, women are diagnosed with PCOS when they have two of these three key features -- increased numbers of ovarian follicles containing immature eggs (called polycystic ovaries) seen on ultrasound, slightly higher levels of testosterone or related symptoms like excess body hair, and irregular or no menstrual periods. Looking at the body mass indices (<keyword id="20014829" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BMI" source="keywords">BMI</keyword>) of women, the researchers found that both women with normal and those having a higher weight had a higher risk of disordered eating, suggesting that the risk of developing eating disorders did not depend on BMI. "Our findings emphasise the importance of screening women with PCOS for eating disorders before clinicians share any lifestyle advice," Cooney said. "The lifestyle modifications we often recommend for women with PCOS -- including physical activity, healthy diet and behaviour modifications -- could hinder the recovery process for eating disorders. Health care providers need to be vigilant about screening for eating disorders in this population," Cooney said.

Women with PCOS at higher risk developing disordered eating, study finds

<ul class="summary-list"><li>When Puerto Rico became a colony of the US in 1898, much of its population was living in poverty.</li><li>The US government and Puerto Rico's appointed government instituted an economic development strategy for the island called "Operation Bootstrap."</li></ul>In 1898, the United States government acquired Puerto Rico through the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War. This was only one year after Spain had granted the island the power to self-govern. But after Spain lost the war, they ceded control of Puerto Rico.At the time, <a target="_blank" href="https://archive.org/details/reportoncensusof00unitiala/page/40/mode/2up?view=theater">Puerto Rico's population</a> was just under 1 million. Most were living in poverty. It wasn't uncommon for families to spend the majority of their income on food. Many people worked for only cents per day harvesting sugarcane. Others owned farms or worked inland on coffee and tobacco fields."Imagine that about 90% of your income is spent on food, and you're still malnourished. There's no money for clothes. Shoes were basically non-existent among the peasantry. And that was before the Great Depression," Dr. Harry Franqui-Rivera, a Latin American History Professor with a focus on Puerto Rico at Bloomfield College told Business Insider.<div type="image" title="Laborers cutting sugarcane in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, circa 1950." height="3805" width="5400" msid="106356539" hostid="261"></div>In tandem with the appointed Puerto Rican government, the US government drew up a plan to develop the island. In 1947, US Congress passed the Industrial Incentives Act, which became a part of "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40992748">Operation Bootstrap</a>," the name given to a number of projects that aimed to industrialize Puerto Rico's agrarian economy.US corporations were lured to the island through tax exemptions and a cheap labor pool, which pushed agricultural workers into urban areas where newly formed factories were. However, that also led to fewer jobs and higher <a target="_blank" href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/operation-bootstrap">unemployment</a>, creating what was described as a "surplus population" on the island.To address this issue, the government came up with a two-pronged approach. In the short term, they would encourage Puerto Ricans to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.history.com/news/puerto-rico-great-migration-postwar">migrate</a> to the mainland and surrounding islands in the Caribbean. In the long term, they would encourage <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2633177">sterilization</a> and birth control, which bolstered the burgeoning <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-slavery-integral-history-disturbing-eugenics-experiments-and-tk-2022-4">eugenics</a> movement in the US.<h2>Sterilization was the only form of contraception accessible to many Puerto Rican women</h2>Beginning in the 1910s through the 1920s, the economy in Puerto Rico was industrialized by pushing rural workers to urban areas where there were new factories. Some families were able to get the newly-formed factory jobs, while others weren't so lucky. Following the landfall of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.puertoricoreport.com/page-history-hurricane-felipe-1928/">Hurricane San Felipe</a> and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/what-caused-the-great-depression">Great Depression</a>, by the 1940s the <a target="_blank" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=DChqCAAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT111&amp;lpg=PT111&amp;dq=This+produced+a+stagnant+economy,+and+unemployment+shot+up+from+11+percent+in+April+1940+to+a+high+of+37+percent+in+September+1942&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=mEbjGjBnvg&amp;sig=ACfU3U3rxgIVPYcw21RJpdLajOMQgL9GSw&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwikn6jylqODAxWeCnkGHVMsBZYQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&amp;q=This%20produced%20a%20stagnant%20economy%2C%20and%20unemployment%20shot%20up%20from%2011%20percent%20in%20April%201940%20to%20a%20high%20of%2037%20percent%20in%20September%201942&amp;f=false">unemployment rate</a> on the island was around 37%. Many residents were forced into poverty.In 1937, contraception and sterilization was made <a target="_blank" href="https://pasquines.us/2015/09/01/sterilization-the-untold-story-of-puerto-rico/">legal</a> in Puerto Rico. When signing the bill, Acting Governor Rafael Menendez Ramos made <a target="_blank" href="https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2850&amp;context=lcp">a statement in support</a> of the legalization of sterilization, citing the problem of "surplus population," writing that "the inevitable consequence is increasing unemployment, growing poverty and mounting misery."<div type="image" title="Puerto Rican women register to vote on the territorial constitution, San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 1950." height="3788" width="4882" msid="106356615" hostid="261"></div>Some women chose to undergo sterilization because it was the only option for contraception available to them. Others were coerced into doing so by their doctors."In Puerto Rico, it was a class-based society," Franqui-Rivera said. "So imagine a doctor in Puerto Rico in the 1930s telling a woman from the peasantry that she should have or recommend that she get sterilized. There is no way for them to say no."Sterilization or "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.thenation.com/article/society/ourmotherstoo-reckoning-with-my-abuelas-coerced-sterilization/">La Operación</a>" as it was called, was one of the only options for birth control women had available to them in the early 20th century. Birth control trials began on the island in the 1950s — well after contraception and sterilization became legal.One survey from the <a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3259513/#:~:text=21%25%20of%20these%20women%20expressed,being%20consulted%20about%20the%20operation.">1982 Puerto Rico Fertility and Family Planning Assessment</a> found that, of the women interviewed who were sterilized between 1954-1982, 21% said they felt some regret and 11% felt definite regret for having been sterilized.Sterilization and birth control efforts were effective in reducing fertility rates on the island. In 1950, the average Puerto Rican woman had given birth to an average of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2134751?read-now=1&amp;seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">5.2 children</a> by the age of 50. By 1977, that average had dropped to 2.7 births per woman.<div type="image" title="A group of Puerto Rican women, trained in household work by the Puerto Rican government, arrive at Newark Airport to work in homes in New York, 1953." height="1841" width="2454" msid="106356616" hostid="261"></div><h2>Some Puerto Rican nationalists feared the US had plans of a physical and cultural genocide</h2>Puerto Rico's birth control movement had strong <a target="_blank" href="https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/latinxreproductiverights/2018/04/10/16/">opponents</a> and supporters. On one side were the Catholic Church and Puerto Rican nationalists, who opposed sterilization. The Catholic Church took their position on birth control based on religious grounds. The nationalists feared that the US as a colonial power had plans of physical and cultural genocide of Puerto Rico.On the other side of the sterilization debate was the US federal government, the Puerto Rican government, public health officials, and private elite, who held the belief that the underdevelopment of the island was due to poverty and in order to develop the island, the population had to shrink.Even within the ranks of those who supported sterilization or birth control, there were progressive and conservative factions. Progressive factions supported some amount of birth control and sterilization for those living in poverty, but they didn't agree with the genetic inferiority argument that many conservative eugenicists believed. Progressive groups wanted to institute birth control, but they also wanted to strengthen education, combat crime, and develop welfare benefits for poorer families, Dr. Laura Briggs, Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, wrote in "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520232587/reproducing-empire">Reproducing Empire</a>."Dr. Iris López, a sociology professor and director of Latin American Studies at City College of New York and author of the book "Matters of Choice: Puerto Rican Women's Struggle for Reproductive Freedom," said most people who were a part of the birth control movement held a progressive ideology."The sterilization in Puerto Rico had to do more with the whole overpopulation ideology versus the general view of eugenics that people are targeted, genetically inferior, or unfit to reproduce," López said. "It was largely driven by the Puerto Rican government and the Puerto Rican people themselves wanting to help 'our people,' the poor people on the island."<div type="image" title="Women lined up at police headquarters during a roundup of suspected nationalists after an aborted revolt in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1950." height="2308" width="3077" msid="106356618" hostid="261"></div><h2>Many women did not know the sterilization procedure would be permanent</h2>The process of sterilization involves a woman's fallopian tubes being tied or cut through a procedure called tubal ligation. While today it may be possible for women to undergo surgical reversal to try to become pregnant, the reversal process was not pioneered until the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tubal-reversal.net/blog/history-of-tubal-reversal-surgery/">1970s</a>. For most Puerto Rican women, sterilization was permanent.Because of the colloquial language physicians used telling women they needed to get their "tubes tied," some women were under the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20628205">misconception</a> that the procedure would be <a target="_blank" href="http://palante.org/Women%27s%20Position%20Paper.pdf">reversible</a>.As López writes in her book, while sterilization in many cases was not forced onto Puerto Rican women, many women felt they did not have an alternative because of government policy and the social conditions they were subjected to. Some factories may have also <a target="_blank" href="https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/apulidolats3/2018/04/22/reproductive-genocide-a-look-into-sterilization-in-puerto-rico-and-east-los-angeles/">encouraged</a> their employees to be sterilized to reduce turnover.While <a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12279870/">projected rates</a> of sterilization on the island between 1930 and 1970 vary somewhere between 30-40%, López said there were higher rates of sterilization amongst married women. A 1982 <a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3259513/#:~:text=21%25%20of%20these%20women%20expressed,being%20consulted%20about%20the%20operation.">survey</a> found that 42% of married women interviewed said they had been sterilized.The sterilization law and eugenics board were <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2633177">repealed</a> in Puerto Rico in 1960, but high rates of sterilization continued on the island until the late 1980s, according to a Family Planning Perspectives study released in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2135873?origin=crossref">1992</a>.Today, the effects of the economic development plan that led to the birth control movement reverberate on the island. Puerto Rico's population is <a target="_blank" href="https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/62/7/964/6607773">aging rapidly</a>, and people have continued to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/09/puerto-rico-outmigration-increases-poverty-declines.html">move away</a> from the island in recent years in the wake of Hurricane Maria and as the economic situation worsens. The average number of births per woman was <a target="_blank" href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?locations=PR">0.9 in 2021</a>."The Puerto Rican age, on average, is a huge problem," Franqui-Rivera said. "Even when the labor market was so good, incredibly good, it was a tough labor market."

Between 1930 and 1970, around one third of all women in Puerto Rico were sterilized to address concerns of 'surplus population'

Adequately spaced pregnancies can significantly improve maternal and <keyword id="22472928" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="child-health-outcomes" source="keywords">child health outcomes</keyword>, Union Minister Anupriya Patel said on Friday, underlining that this also reduces risks and empowers women to make informed choices about their <keyword id="20548742" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reproductive-health" source="keywords">reproductive health</keyword>. "The government's efforts have resulted in reduction of <keyword id="20741690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maternal-mortality" source="keywords">maternal mortality</keyword> from over 130 to 97 per one lakh births," the minister of state for health said and also highlighted the efforts taken by states to involve men in <keyword id="19943279" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="family-planning" source="keywords">family planning</keyword>. Patel held a meeting with public health experts as part of a series of programmes to observe the World Population Day. The theme of the meeting was "Reaching the Last Mile for Ensuring Healthy Timing and Spacing between Pregnancies: Issues and Challenges." The minister said the government has always been conscious of these issues. "The launch of initiatives such as the <keyword id="22472929" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pradhan-Mantri-Surakshit-Matritva-Abhiyan" source="keywords">Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan</keyword> (PMSMA), extended PMSMA, identification of high-risk pregnancy in PMSMA, Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and the Post-Partum Family Planning Programme (Post-Partum IUCD and Post Abortion IUCD) are some examples of the government's commitment to the cause," she said. Patel also underscored the importance of an effective communication strategy. "The task of achieving Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047 cannot be done without empowering our women. Healthy timing and spacing between pregnancies are very important for women's health," she said. Additional Secretary and Mission Director NHM at the health ministry, Aradhana Patnaik, highlighted that India has already achieved a total fertility rate (TFR) of two with 31 states and Union territories achieving the replacement level. There is a need for an effective strategy to bring the TFR under replacement level in the remaining five states, the minister said. Patel said that "we would be able to reach the last mile" by empowering the youth, addressing challenges of equal participation of men and women, increasing couple communication, learning from best practices, taking cues from current and historical trends in family planning data and expanding the contraceptive basket of choices. She also stressed on identifying and mapping regions, districts, and blocks with data of issues such as low uptake of <keyword id="22472930" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="family-planning-services" source="keywords">family planning services</keyword>, low demand for modern contraceptives and high unmet needs, and saturating them with services and enhanced social and behaviour change communication.

Healthy timing, spacing between pregnancies crucial for women's health: MoS Patel

<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.

Caitlin Clark is a Rorschach test

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A top advisor suggested that China lower its marriage age to 18, and people aren't happy with him.</li><li>Gan Huatian of the NCCPPC was blasted online for saying the move could boost birthrates.</li></ul>A top advisor in China proposed on Tuesday that the country lower its legal age of marriage to 18 to boost its lagging population, a suggestion met with intense backlash online.As China's top decision-making bodies met in Beijing this month, Gan Huatian, a leading member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said publicly that the change would help lift declining birthrates, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sohu.com/a/762080590_121434717?edtsign=7C168A697665EB8E6E421AAB965F1EB080B6FFEB&amp;edtcode=AP30DBdM1kYkJ9SWYhCg%2Bw%3D%3D&amp;scm=10001.280_14-200000.0.10006.&amp;spm=smpc.home.top-news2.3.17096436030415oXoZw5_1467">per regional media outlets.</a>The conference is not a ruling body but advises the National People's Congress, China's central authority.The current legal age of marriage in China is 22 for men and 20 for women.Gan, a professor from the West China Hospital in Sichuan province, also asked that China remove its birth restrictions — which often make it difficult for children born out of wedlock to register in schools or purchase property later in their lives. Paid maternity leave should also be extended from 98 days to two years, he said.His proposal, however, went viral and was quickly slammed online, a further sign that China's population woes are rooted beyond just family policies."I thought at least those who have experienced childbirth should propose these reproduction suggestions," said <a target="_blank" href="https://weibo.com/2615417307/O3CofDVOv?refer_flag=1001030103_">one top comment with 7,500 likes on Weibo</a>, China's version of X."The children of this representative don't need to study. They can get married after graduating from high school," said another."You're not supporting people to go get a better education at a college, but you encourage them to give birth at 18?" another top comment said.The topic of Gan's proposal hit 61 million views on Weibo as of Wednesday morning Beijing time, per data seen by Business Insider.China's population <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-china-population-falling-economy-deflation-evergrande-xi-jinping-2024-1">decreased by around 2 million people</a> in 2023, while its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-population-shrinking-first-time-60-years-2023-1">birth rates have declined to their lowest levels</a> since 1949, per government statistics.Its last period of population decline was in the 1960s, due to widespread famine caused by Mao Zedong's backfired Great Leap Forward.The decline spells a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-aging-superaged-society-demographic-crisis-catch-up-2023-2">potential crisis for China</a>, which is growing old faster than it can get rich enough to support an aging population.As its population problems loom, governments around the country have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-reward-cash-bride-25-years-marriage-babies-population-2023-8">explored all manner of ways to get people to tie the knot and have children.</a>But many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-marriage-rate-millennials-drop-nationwide-crisis-women-affluence-economy-2022-4">young Chinese people say</a> their struggles in an ailing economy and the weight of societal expectations for raising families have undermined any prospects of marriage and child-rearing.

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