The i9 website states that 70% of kids drop out of sports by age 13 because it's no longer fun or has become a negative experience. Kids are pushed to specialize in one sport (instead of playing many different ones) to earn scholarships or go pro, though only a minuscule percentage of players achieve either, and they often end up with physical injuries from repeated strain on certain body parts.
Academia can be incredibly, overwhelmingly, demanding. Many feel that they have to dedicate all their time and energy to establishing and sustaining a successful career. But many don't want an all-encompassing career. And there are profound parts of life that can get pushed to the sidelines by these demands. And of course, for many, this includes parenthood. Today, we're going to speak with several researchers about the strain academia places on parents and those hoping to become parents.
The media often portrays competitive, ambitious women as villains, and this pattern appears again and again in popular movies and TV shows. Consider one of the most iconic depictions of a powerful woman in The Devil Wears Prada: its formidable editor, Miranda Priestly, who is feared and disliked by most in the film simply for being authoritative and unapologetically ambitious. The stereotype is embedded in the title itself, where a successful woman is framed as cold and devilish for being open about her ambitions.
I didn't even see him coming well, I wouldn't have, as he came up from behind me. I had walked in his path, he barked at me. What path? I thought, baffled, as I took in the huge expanse of empty pavement around us. I was so stupefied by the encounter that I found myself frozen to the spot, watching him walk away in his blue anorak and technical rucksack.
Despite all the amazing support I have received and my best efforts to overcome injury, I have come to accept that I can no longer reach the level of performance required to compete at the standard needed. Not being able to perform to the high standards I set for myself, combined with the mental and physical toll of ongoing injury, has ultimately brought this chapter to a close.
MILWAUKEE - Azzi Fudd scored 25 points, Sarah Strong had 19 of her 22 in the second half and No. 1 UConn remained unbeaten with a 71-56 victory over Marquette on Saturday. UConn (27-0, 16-0 Big East) has won 43 straight games and hasn't lost since an 80-76 decision at Tennessee over a year ago. The Huskies also have won 63 straight Big East games, counting regular-season and tournament matchups.
Geno Auriemma tied Tara VanDerveer for most appearances in the AP women's basketball Top 25 poll when UConn remained No. 1 on Monday. Auriemma has led the Huskies to 654 appearances in the poll during his 41-year Hall of Fame career to match VanDerveer, who retired from Stanford in 2024. UConn has been ranked for the past 619 consecutive weeks, dating to the preseason 1993-94 poll, and once again was a unanimous choice at No. 1 from the 31-member national media panel.
Image source, Getty Images Gloucester-Hartpury made it 10 wins out of 10 in Premiership Women's Rugby as they ran in seven tries at home to third-placed Harlequins. Sisilia Tuipulotu starred for the defending champions, helping them on their way to a comprehensive 45-22 victory with two first-half tries. The league leaders opened a 10-point cushion over second-placed Saracens, who host Bristol Bears on Sunday. Meanwhile, Sale Sharks won 36-31 at Trailfinders in Saturday's other match.
I have been there. Waking up early, even hiring an early babysitter to help me get my son ready on time so we could both go to school and work. My husband is the primary breadwinner in our home. He often had to travel for work, so the burden was on me. I recall the stress of it all - arranging someone to pick up my son when I could not, managing logistics, and making payments. It was hard earned money lost.
WHEN MEGAN GRANT sits in the front row of her Intro to Gender Studies class at UCLA, she's enjoying the only rest she'll get all day. It's game day for the UCLA women's basketball team. Grant has 10 hours until she'll take the court for the Bruins. But before putting on her basketball jersey, the UCLA dual athlete will have weight training, class and softball practice. The senior softball star has a career .727 slugging percentage, .978 fielding percentage and earned the Big Ten single-season record for home runs with 26 in 2025.
Lauren Betts had 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists and No. 2 UCLA pushed its winning streak to 18 games by thumping No. 13 Michigan State 86-63 on Wednesday night. Kiki Rice finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for the Bruins (24-1, 14-0 Big Ten). Gabriela Jaquez added 13 points, all in the first half, and Gianna Kneepkens chipped in 12. UCLA now has nine wins over ranked opponents, six in conference play.
A different model exists in its place where women date without losing themselves. Decentering men isn't about hating them. It's about not organizing your life around their approval, attention, or validation. You can still date men, enjoy intimacy, and build meaningful relationships without sacrificing your identity in the process. Think of it as a mindshift, rather than a membership in the 4B movement.
"It sounds probably cuckoo, but I just I knew that she was going to be OK," Plemmons tells TODAY.com. "As I would leave these appointments, I was being told, 'We'll probably lose a heartbeat before you're back at the next appointment,'" she shares. "I just kept telling my husband, 'I don't accept that. That's not going to be our story.'" Prayer gave the young mom a sense of peace,
She'd cooked breakfast and lunch for her two children and for her husband, who works as a taxi driver. Her daughter had an event at college for which she had to wear a sari. She needed her mother's help to get dressed. It took longer than they'd both expected. Meenakshi knew she was running late, so she skipped breakfast and rushed to work.
When I arrived at Harlequins in 2018, I didn't come with a plan for how long I'd stay. I came with a love for rugby and a hope that I'd find a place where I could grow. Very quickly, this club became my home: a place that held me through every version of myself over the years and I could never have imagined how much this club would come to mean to me.
Firstborn daughters in immigrant families often grow up faster than they expect to. From a young age, they are entrusted with responsibilities that extend far beyond typical childhood expectations. These daughters take on multiple duties, including supporting their parents with language barriers, caring for their younger siblings, and serving as a bridge between their home culture and the broader society. Their experiences shape their understanding of responsibility, which in turn influences their self-worth and their pursuit of success.
When I ask people how much they thought I earned as a US Olympian, they always guess an amount far above what I actually got paid. During the years I was part of the US fencing team from 2016 to 2021, I made $300 a month. This was the pinnacle of my fencing career, and yet I wasn't making enough to cover my living expenses. But this had always been my dream, and I had to pursue it at all costs.