Nearly half of women think they have more social barriers to overcome than previous generations (44), according to new research.br br A survey of 2,000 women 25-40 and 55-80 looked at how women view themselves in society and found that four in five agree that society puts a lot of pressure on women to look or act a certain way.br br The top barriers women find themselves faced with are feeling like they need to “cover up” or hide parts of their body (23) and dealing with the fear of aging (20).br br Nearly a fifth also struggle with trying to be all things to all people (19) and balancing their work and family lives (18).br br Seven in 10 women admitted that they care what others think or say about them (71), feeling more judged than empowered about their body shapesize (38), appearance (35) and physical health (31).br br However, the survey, conducted by OnePoll for FitRight Fresh Start, found that despite all of the challenges they face, 93 of women surveyed are proud of their gender.br br In fact, a majority of women are feeling more confident today than they did 10 years ago (77), and 63 feel more empowered today than prior to the pandemic.br br To help themselves feel more empowered, women are overcoming the need to be perfect in everything they do (32) and are being patient with themselves and everyone else (31).br br According to respondents, the top traits for feeling empowered are confidence (19) and honesty (17), finding inspiration in notable famous women such as Oprah Winfrey, Princess Diana and Taylor Swift — or in their own lives, through their mother, grandmother or even an old boss.br br Knowledge is also a powerful tool, according to one in six women who said that being well-informed also helps them feel empowered. Twenty-nine percent shared that making informed decisions allows them to feel more confident, and 27 said educating themselves about world issues helps, too.br br Some advice they’d give other women to help them feel empowered is to be comfortable in their own skin (16), trust their instincts (15) and knowledge is power (13).br br Those surveyed also said it’s important for successful women to stay positive (30) and surround themselves with positive people (29).br br However, respondents acknowledge that there will always be moments of doubt. The average woman still finds themselves feeling self-conscious about their body four days a week.br br When asked what they feel self-conscious about, the top concern was increased physical challenges as they age like aching body parts or incontinence (44).br br More than a third of women surveyed have experienced incontinence (34), averaging three times a week, worrying about drinking too many liquids (14) or lifting weights (14).