Women's News: An Olympian tragedy

Hello and Happy Friday! Before we dive in, a trigger warning: this week’s Spotlight covers domestic violence. If this topic is sensitive or difficult for you, please feel free to skip that section or bypass this issue entirely.

Here’s what’s on the rise this week:

Spotlight

Rebecca Cheptegei, a 33-year-old Olympic marathon runner from Uganda, died in Kenya on Thursday after her partner set her on fire during an argument. 

• Cheptegei’s father had previously contacted police with concerns his daughter was being intimidated by her partner but said he wasn’t taken seriously.

• The tragedy sparked outrage from activists, government officials, and communities that have long protested high rates of gender-based and intimate partner violence in Kenya and other African countries. 

• According to the U.N.’s global estimates, a woman is killed by an intimate partner or family member roughly every 11 minutes.

• Keep reading: A sweeping OpEd about if and when women have a right to kill their abusive partners in self-defense.

World

• Iraqi women are speaking up against possible parliamentary changes that would allow religious courts to determine marriage age, potentially permitting girls as young as nine years old to marry.

• New Zealand’s indigenous Maori anointed their second-ever queen. Nga Wai Hono i te Po was chosen by tribal elders to take over the monarchy from her father, who died last week.

• Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who took office in August, officially has a new Cabinet after the king signed off on her selections.

Business and Tech

• The tech world debated whether leaders should operate in “founder mode” (staying hands-on and in the weeds) or “manager mode” (hiring and delegating to top talent)—but the choice may not be available to women.

  • While “founder mode” tactics like direct engagement with lower-level employees, honest feedback, and passion-bordering-on-eccentricity may be acceptable for male leaders, the same behaviors from women are often perceived as micro-management or abrasiveness.

  • Women shared their experiences facing criticism for using this leadership style, a double standard that Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, a proponent of “founder mode,” said needs to change. 

• Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, became the world’s wealthiest woman thanks to the retailer’s recent stock market success.

Election Watch

Politics

• Women legislators in Nebraska took the lead during a special session on property taxes, shaping key policies and blocking unpopular tax hikes. Advocates hope their leadership inspires more women to run for office nationwide.

• Nine states will have abortion rights on the ballot in November, which pundits think could increase voter turnout.

Healthcare

• New Mexico is building a state-funded abortion clinic to treat patients from nearby states like Texas and Oklahoma with restrictive abortion bans.

• The first self-administered cervical cancer test will roll out later this month, allowing women to collect a sample privately in a doctor’s office rather than undergoing a Pap smear.

Sports

• Soccer star Alex Morgan announced her retirement from the sport and pregnancy with her second child. The Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion will play her last match on Sunday.

• Algerian girls are reaching for boxing gloves and hitting the ring in the wake of Imane Khelif’s Olympic success, which has inspired a newfound interest in boxing among young women in the nation.

• Jessica Pegula will face Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open women’s final on Saturday.