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Abstract: Introduction: This study investigated whether velocity-based resistance training provides additional benefits to lower limb performance compared to standard exercise execution. Methods: Twenty untrained adult women (37–55 years) were randomly assigned to two resistance training groups to perform resistance training with three sets of four lower body exercises per week for 6 weeks. The number of repetitions and lifting velocity differed between the groups. One group performed lower body exercises with maximal intent and a 10% velocity loss threshold termination (VB10%; n = 10), while the other group performed 10 repetitions at a standard 1:2 s concentric:eccentric tempo (STD; n = 10). The number of repetitions was recorded during the sessions. Before and after the intervention, power, muscular endurance and dynamic stability of the lower limbs were assessed using the mean propulsive velocity (MPV) and power (MPP) at 70% one-repetition maximum in the squat and deadlift, the Y-balance test (YBT) and the 30-second sit-to-stand test (STS), respectively. A two-way analysis of variance was used to assess the effects of time, group, and their interaction. Results: The difference between 10 repetitions in the STD and repetitions in the VB10% was assessed using a one-sample t-test. Both groups significantly improved MPP, MPV, YBT and STS [mean difference (MD) ≥5.4%; effect size (ES) ≥0.6]. Although 2.5–2.7 less repetitions were performed in VB10%, the improvements in MPP and MPV were slightly greater (ES ≥ 1.2 vs. ≥ 0.8). Conversely, STS and YBT improved more in STD (ES ≥ 0.4 vs. ≥ 1.0). Discussion: Regardless of the lifting method used, the training intervention improved lower limb power, muscular endurance and dynamic stability, indicating that resistance training is an effective strategy for enhancing these capacities in untrained adult women. Using 10% threshold may be a more time-efficient strategy for improving lower-limb power in this population and could represent a promising approach for mitigating early declines in power over time.
Keywords: adult women, dynapenia, muscle performance, power, powerpenia, resistance training, strength, velocity loss
Published in RUP: 14.01.2026; Views: 254; Downloads: 4
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Abstract: In the context of widespread violence that México has experienced increasingly since the launch of the War on Drugs trafficking in 2007, victims’ testimonies have emerged across various settings, fostering empathy and constructing a narrative that challenges the criminalization and societal passivity in the face of violent death. These testimonies have played a crucial role in shaping commemorative practices and facilitating reparative processes in cases where impunity persists. However, the construction of testimonies and memories is far from neutral. These narratives are shaped by intersecting racial, gender, and class dynamics that influence what can be told and heard at a given time. Drawing on extensive fieldwork conducted in the Zongolica region in the Gulf of México, this article explores how the testimonies of Indigenous women have been subjected to specific forms of injustice. Their experiences of violence are often denied, their credibility questioned, and the harms they endured erased, leaving them marginalized within accepted testimony of violence. Furthermore, the article highlights how Indigenous women and their communities are actively seeking truth and justice by creating alternative testimonial practices to promote reparations processes, foster solidarity, and bring to light the profound impacts of militarization and criminal violence in their communities.
Keywords: violence, México, Indigenous women, testimonies, Femicide, Feminicide
Published in RUP: 17.12.2025; Views: 151; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: The European Union aims to foster research excellence, among others, by increasing gender equality (GE) in the European research area. The mandatory introduction of gender equality plans (GEP) mobilised universities to assess, target, and monitor GE in different fields of science. A wide range of barriers have been explored in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), characterised by the low participation of women. However, significant obstacles to GE can emerge in relatively more gender‐balanced and, therefore, rarely studied fields, such as agriculture and life sciences (ALS). Experiences can differ in Central and Eastern European countries, characterised by rather traditional gender and family norms. This study explores different stakeholders’ perceptions of the main barriers of GE, with particular attention to ALS. We conducted nine focus groups (82 participants in total) with middle management, academic staff, and students from Czech, Hungarian, and Slovenian universities, aiming to contribute to the revision of their first GEP. Discussions were centred on recruitment, leadership positions, work–life balance, gender‐based violence, sexual harassment, organisational culture, integrating the gender dimension into research and teaching, and institutionalisation of GEPs. Findings revealed that women in ALS face partly similar gender‐based obstacles to their counterparts in less gender‐balanced fields—perceptions of education and career choices, work–life imbalance, and exclusion by recruitment and promotion practices—and also additional ALS‐related challenges of laboratory and fieldwork. Findings highlight the need for institutions to carefully address these areas in their state‐of‐the‐art assessments and develop sector‐specific, tailor‐made GEPs.
Keywords: academia and higher education, agriculture and life sciences, barriers, Central and Eastern Europe, gender equality, gender equality plans, inclusion of women, stakeholders
Published in RUP: 18.08.2025; Views: 453; Downloads: 8
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Abstract: Background and Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, women faced unique employment-related stressors, including higher exposure to unstable working conditions, increased workload changes due to motherhood, and greater risk of infection in certain jobs. This study explores how these factors influence women’s anxiety and subjective well-being, aiming to identify vulnerable groups. Materials and Methods: 230 employed Slovene women, aged from 19 to 64 years (M = 32.60, SD = 10.41), participated in an online survey containing a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6), WHO-5 Well-being Index, and a set of questions regarding their occupation and demographic profile. Hierarchical linear regressions and chi-squared tests were performed. Results: The risk of job or income loss significantly predicted an increase in anxiety levels. However, despite fear of infection, none of the work-related variables predicted a significant decrease in subjective well-being. Women reporting risk of job or income loss are predominantly those with lower education and income, working students, self-employed, or working in the private sector. Conclusions: Employment insecurity is an important contributor to anxiety in women. The findings highlight the need to ensure job security, particularly for women working in precariat working conditions, as their work and economic stability prove to be vulnerable to external economic disturbances.
Keywords: COVID-19, women, employment insecurity, anxiety, mental health
Published in RUP: 08.08.2025; Views: 573; Downloads: 6
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Keywords: suicide, women, intimate-partner violence, risk factors
Published in RUP: 18.10.2021; Views: 2979; Downloads: 101
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