Women's Journal — Health, Beauty, Fitness & Lifestyle
Female Entrepreneurs Face Persistent U.S. Funding Gaps
Female entrepreneurs are operating at substantial scale in the U.S., but public data still point to uneven access to business financing. Census figures show women owned 14.2 million U.S. businesses in 2023, while Federal Reserve research continues to find lower full-approval rates for women-owned firms. The divide is also visible in venture funding. Key Takeaways Women owned 14.2 million U.S. businesses in 2023, generating $2.8 trillion in receipts, according to the Census Bureau. Women owned 1.4 million employer firms, or 22.9% of the U.S. total, and 12.9 million nonemployer businesses. The Federal Reserve says women-owned firms are less likely than male-owned firms to receive full approval for the financing they seek. Across all small employer firms surveyed in 2025, 42% of financing applicants received the full amount requested. Crunchbase data put female-only founding teams at 3% of U.S. venture funding amounts in 2023. Female entrepreneurs now account for a large share of U.S. business ownership, but the financing picture has not moved at the same pace. Census Bureau data released in November 2025 show that women owned 14.2 million of the nation’s businesses in 2023, with $2.8 trillion in receipts. The gap becomes clearer when employer and nonemployer firms
Menopause Rage Sparks Calls for More Clinical Research
A clinician has called for more research and clinical guidance on menopause-related rage, arguing that the symptom remains underrecognized despite increased attention to menopause health. The discussion follows recent workplace policy initiatives and ongoing research into emotional symptoms during perimenopause. Key Takeaways A clinician says menopause-related rage lacks dedicated clinical guidance. Existing menopause guidelines primarily address depression and anxiety symptoms. Researchers are studying irritability during perimenopause in an ongoing clinical trial. Recent workplace menopause policies have largely focused on physical symptoms. Experts say more research is needed to better understand severe emotional symptoms. Menopause rage has become the focus of discussion after clinician Dr. Sarah Berg called for more research and clearer clinical guidance on severe emotional symptoms experienced during perimenopause. Berg argues that while public awareness and workplace policies addressing menopause have expanded, intense emotional reactions described by some women remain insufficiently studied and are not addressed through dedicated clinical recommendations. The discussion follows several recent developments related to menopause health. Philanthropist Melinda French Gates announced a $215 million commitment to women’s health research and advocacy in June. During the same month, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed an executive order directing state agencies to incorporate menopause accommodations into workplace
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Report Shows Women Bore the U.S. Labor Force Decline
Women accounted for the full July decline among U.S. adults age 20 and older in the labor force, according to a National Women’s Law Center analysis of federal data. The shift coincided with a 23,000 decline in payroll employment and lower overall participation, drawing attention to women’s position in a slowing labor market. Key Takeaways About 165,000 women age 20 and older left the labor force in July, while the number of men in the same age group was unchanged. The overall U.S. civilian labor force declined by 264,000 from June to July. U.S. nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 23,000 in July, while the unemployment rate edged down to 4.1 percent. Women lost about 32,000 payroll jobs during the month, according to the National Women’s Law Center analysis. The labor force participation rate stood at 61.4 percent in July, down 0.7 percentage point from January. The labor force decline in July was concentrated among women when looking at adults age 20 and older. Seasonally adjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that the number of women age 20 and older in the labor force fell from 77.448 million in June to 77.283 million in July. That represents a decrease of
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