The iWoman Report: Dangerous Careers for Women, Faith Kipyegon's Attempt at a 4-Minute Mile, and Malala's Focus on Women's Sports

Study Reveals the Most Dangerous Careers for Women and the Hidden Hazards They Face

Despite growing gender diversity across historically male-dominated industries, women continue to face disproportionate risks on the job from both physical danger and outdated workplace cultures.

A recent report from DeMayo Law Offices, a Charlotte-based personal injury law firm, highlights the ten most dangerous professions for women. Based on workplace injury data and employee reports, the findings reveal a troubling pattern: industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and law enforcement are not only physically hazardous, they’re also failing to protect women in critical ways.

Physical hazards such as falls, burns, or heavy machinery are well-known and obvious within these professions. The hazards women encounter are less visible and potentially more damaging including harassment, discrimination, and a lack of protective equipment designed with their needs in mind.

The top 10 most dangerous careers for women, according to the study, include:

1. Manufacturing

2. Agriculture

3. Fishing

4. Transportation

5. Law enforcement

6. Welding

7. Construction

8. Maintenance

9. Roofing

10. Electrical trades

    
    

Even though women in these sectors are a smaller percentage, they experience higher injury rates than their male counterparts. The report links this disparity to several persistent challenges, including poorly fitting personal protective equipment (PPE), which is still often designed for male bodies. Ill-fitting gear can compromise safety and lead to avoidable injuries.

But the risks go beyond physical equipment. The study points to entrenched workplace cultures as a major contributor. In male-dominated spaces, women frequently encounter harassment and discrimination. In rural agricultural settings and the trucking industry, for instance, female workers report increased incidents of isolation and harassment, not just from colleagues but also from clients and third parties.

Between 2018 and 2021, nearly two-thirds of all sexual harassment claims in the U.S. were filed by women, many in these high-risk, male-dominated industries.

Interestingly, the report also identified elevated risks in professions typically seen as “care-focused,” such as education, healthcare, and social work. Women in these fields often face emotional and psychological strain due to workplace hostility, overwork, and abuse from the people they serve. This strain is visible in the statistics: women accounted for 71% of all mental health leave taken for work-related stress in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

The study's conclusion is clear: addressing these disparities requires urgent policy and culture reform. The results should urge employers to take gender-specific safety needs seriously by providing properly designed PPE, updating safety protocols to be more inclusive, and offering accessible and affordable mental health resources.

As women continue to break into once-exclusive industries, ensuring their safety and dignity must become an integral part of the job.

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Faith Kipyegon’s Historic Sub-Four Mile Attempt Could Redefine What’s Possible for Women in Sport

For decades, the idea of a woman running a mile in under four minutes existed only in theory. But this week, in Paris, Faith Kipyegon, the most dominant middle-distance runner of her generation, will attempted to do just that.

On Thursday, the 31-year-old Kenyan superstar took the starting line at Nike’s “Breaking4” event, a specially designed race with one goal: to break the final frontier in women’s middle-distance running by being the first woman in history to run a sub-four minute mile. Although Kipyegon did not see a time of 3:59:00 at the end of her race, she came in at 4:06:92, beating her previous record and bringing women that much closer to breaking a four-minute mile.

Kipyegon already holds the world record in the 1,500 meters and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. In 2023, she obliterated the women’s mile world record by nearly five seconds, running 4:07.64 in Monaco, the fastest ever recorded...until today. She's now just 6.93 seconds from breaking a time barrier that even the sport’s top scientists once viewed as science fiction.

But according to a groundbreaking 2024 study published in the Royal Society Open Science, it’s not only possible; it’s plausible. Co-authored by a team of experts including former Olympic runner Shalaya Kipp and biomechanics specialist Rodger Kram, the study found that with optimal pacing strategy and aerodynamic drafting, Kipyegon could theoretically run 3:59.37, the same time Roger Bannister clocked when he broke the four-minute mile for men in 1954. Now that she's inched closer to the four-minute mark, that plausibility may turn to reality sooner than we think.

The strategy behind Kipyegon’s attempt to "break four" relied on her innate skill as a runner and aerodynamics. Drafting, or running behind pace-setters to reduce wind resistance, was utilized to shave precious seconds off her time. The researchers modeled a scenario in which Kipyegon would tuck into a “pocket” created by pacers running 40 inches in front and behind her, with a mid-race pacer swap to maintain rhythm and reduce drag.

She also wore a custom-made Nike superspikes, a wind-resistant race suit, and aerodynamic undergarments with cutting-edge tech designed to minimize every ounce of resistance. But even with those advantages, the margin for error was razor-thin.

While the race has drawn attention for its athletic stakes, its symbolic impact may be just as significant. Nearly 70 years after Bannister’s sub-four milestone became a global sports touchstone, Kipyegon’s effort represents not just an athletic revolution, but a cultural correction. It serves as an overdue acknowledgment of what women are capable of when given the same conditions, support, and visibility as men.

Co-author Shalaya Kipp sees even broader implications. “It’s going to not only draw more females to the sport, but it’s also going to help draw more attention to female physiology and get more research done on females too,” she said. “That is a big gap we have right now.”

In that sense, the race is bigger than just a record. It’s a call to equal investment, equal innovation, and equal belief in women’s sports. It also marked a vital step in closing the performance narrative gap between men and women, something that has been fueled in part by underrepresentation, lack of research on female athletes, and persistent myths about physical limits.

Even though Kipyegon did not ultimately break four minutes, the attempt alone is history in motion. Like Kipchoge’s initial sub-two hour attempt, it will set the tone for what’s possible and inspire the next wave of athletes.

“Even if we don’t go below four, how exciting is it just to have this attempt?” said Kipp. “It’s still going to be a big deal.”

In a time when women’s sports are gaining unprecedented momentum, notably in women's basketball and soccer, Kipyegon’s run is yet another reminder: We are only just beginning to see what women can do when the playing field is leveled.

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Malala Yousafzai’s New Women’s Sports Initiative Sends a Clear Message: Inclusion Is Power

Malala Yousafzai is no stranger to advocating for human rights in difficult environments. The youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner became a global icon after surviving a Taliban assassination attempt at age 15 for speaking out in defense of girls’ education. Now, she’s bringing that same commitment to gender equity into the world of sports with a message that’s more timely than ever.

This week, Yousafzai announced the launch of Recess, a global initiative designed to invest in women’s sports and expand access for girls and young women worldwide. The initiative stands as a powerful stance for equity, opportunity, and inclusion in a time when those values are increasingly under attack.

Unveiled at the Billie Jean King Power of Women’s Sport Summit, Recess is a joint project between Yousafzai and her husband, Asser Malik, with backing from legends like Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss. Its goal: to treat women’s sports not just as a moral cause but as a serious investment opportunity, with a strategy focused on professional leagues like the WNBA and NWSL as well as grassroots access for girls globally.

As Yousafzai and others work to expand access to sports for all women and girls, a growing number of U.S. states and international sports federations are moving in the opposite direction by restricting or outright banning transgender women from competing in women’s divisions.

Framed by some as a fight for “fairness,” these efforts often ignore the lived realities of trans athletes and undermine the broader goals of gender equity. In contrast, Recess is founded on a belief that sport should be a tool for unity, not division.

Though Yousafzai didn’t directly address the trans athlete debate in her remarks, her legacy as a human rights advocate, along with Recess’s stated mission of expanding access, stands in stark contrast to exclusionary rhetoric that defines who is "allowed" to compete.

The debate over trans inclusion has grown to be increasingly politicized. At the same time, systemic underfunding, social stigma, and dropout rates continue to plague cisgender girls and women in sports. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, girls leave sports at twice the rate of boys by age 14.

But if women’s sports are to grow into something truly equitable, the definition of “women” must remain inclusive. Not contingent on politics or biology, but grounded in humanity and lived identity. Yousafzai's long-standing message is that gender equity can’t be achieved by leaving anyone behind.

Yousafzai’s initiative reminds us that sports are not just a stage for competition, they’re platforms for representation, inclusion, and social change. Just as athletes like Caitlin Clark inspire girls by showing up and showing out, so too can trans athletes empower others through visibility, talent, and resilience.

Yousafzai has always challenged systems that tell girls they don’t belong. With Recess, she’s taking that fight to a new arena. And while she hasn’t weighed in directly on the trans inclusion debate, her legacy and the values embedded in Recess send a quiet but powerful message:

If we want equality in sports, we can’t be selective about who we believe deserves to play.