| Opportunity’s Knocking – Are Young Adult Women Prepared? |
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 WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J.,– More women today graduate from college, are running for office, and have top level executive roles at Fortune 500 companies. But some things can alter the course of her journey – so having a plan can make a difference. That’s why Merck has partnered with sitcom scene-stealer turned Broadway superstar Raven-Symoné to launch Plan It Forward, a campaign that empowers young adult women to map out their future plans and gives them some resources to help them get started. The campaign, debuting today on HerCampus.com, also encourages young adult women to consider how an unplanned pregnancy could impact her journey, and how family planning fits into her roadmap.
Whether young adult women dream about getting an education, raising a family, landing a successful career or travelling the globe – creating a road map for how to reach these goals can be an important first step. To better understand how young adult women approach their plans, Merck commissioned a survey, conducted by GfK amongst 700 women ages 18-25. That survey revealed that one in three (32%) out of the 393 women who want to put a plan in place don’t know where to start when it comes to putting a plan in place for their future.
“I believe that young adult women today can accomplish anything they put their minds to, but having a plan in place can be important in helping those dreams become a reality. I’ve been very fortunate to have had a successful career for many years, but it’s more than luck that’s gotten me here today,” said Raven-Symoné. “Plan It Forward is all about helping women plan and to consider how things like family planning, internships, and volunteering fit into your roadmap.”
The Merck-sponsored survey found that of the 466 women who were not looking to start a family now, many said that it was important for them to achieve their personal goals. For many young adult women, an unplanned pregnancy could alter the course of their plan. However, statistics show that there were more than 3 million unintended pregnancies in the United States alone, with the highest incidence occurring with women 20-24 years old in 2006.
“Pregnancy planning and contraception are important considerations for young women as they consider their future,” said Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. “So important, in fact, that the CDC recognizes family planning as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century."
Merck encourages anyone who needs help getting started with their plan for the future to visit the Plan It Forward section of HerCampus.com to access tools such as the Plan It Forward Course Creator that helps women navigate the planning process and consider potential obstacles, next steps and deadlines. While on Her Campus, women can also help to “pay it forward” and learn more about She’s the First, a not-for-profit that sponsors girls’ education, helping them be the first in their families to graduate. As part of the Plan It Forward campaign, Merck has made a $25,000 donation to She’s the First.
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