Byline: By Becky Gibson, Wells Fargo market executive for commercial banking in Iowa Women-owned firms now account for nearly 4 in 10 U.S. businesses. They generate approximately $2.7 trillion in annual revenue. They employ more than 12.2 million workers. And since 2019, women-owned businesses have multiplied at almost double the rate Read more…
BY MACEY SHOFROTH, FEARLESS CONTRIBUTOR Editor’s note: “Victim” and “survivor” are both common terms used for someone who has experienced sexual assault or domestic violence, and they will be used in this article interchangeably. We recognize that folks often prefer one term over another.Sexual assault and domestic violence are pervasive issues Read more…
Before I had a child of my own, I loved bringing lots of baby clothes to new parents when I visited them postpartum. I was making a terrible mistake. I’ve always enjoyed thrifting. And, I’ve always loved baby clothes. I didn’t realize I was essentially bringing new parents a mountain Read more…
BY JODY GIFFORD My parents divorced when I was 6 years old. I still remember coming home from school one day to find that my dad had moved out — his ratty recliner absent from its spot in our living room and his favorite jacket missing from the hook by Read more…
The Affordable Care Act requires most health insurance plans to pay for screening mammograms intended to facilitate early detection of breast cancer. But in at least 10% of cases, women are called back to get secondary scans, and the cost of diagnostic mammograms and other procedures is not fully covered Read more…
BY BRITTANY HEARD, LEAD ADVISER, FOSTER GROUP INC. I’m an introvert. Growing up, I was particularly shy and soft-spoken. Even though I was a good student and a good athlete, I lacked confidence. I was content to remain unnoticed. For years, I didn’t feel like this was a problem. It was just who Read more…
Improving access to child care has been a bipartisan priority at the Iowa Statehouse for years. Although no single strategy will bridge the gap between the number of spaces available and what the state’s families need, lawmakers and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds are continuing to chip away. The major effort that has emerged so Read more…
Photo by Bethany Birnie, courtesy of the Coven While some companies are requiring employees to return to the office post-pandemic, some workers, and even their bosses, are pushing back. The push and pull is especially challenging for workers who benefitted the most from work-from-home models – women, caretakers, those with Read more…
BY ELEANOR HILDEBRANDT It was a sunny Tuesday in September, less than a week into my Fulbright grant, when I wandered into Madam Anna Ekke, a cafe in Munich, with a new friend. As we perused the menu and I suggested food options, my friend corrected my pronunciation of every Read more…
A proposal to extend the duration of Medicaid coverage for pregnant Iowans has widespread support, but some activists are concerned about the state potentially lowering the income threshold to participate in the program, saying it would shut out low-wage working moms who desperately need prenatal care. Many of the people Read more…