Last month, after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, Lean In surveyed more than 3,000 U.S. workers about how the Supreme Court decision will affect their careers. Their research shows that a majority of employees see abortion rights as a workplace issue. Companies that don’t take action risk losing future leaders: a majority of employees under age 40, regardless of their political affiliation, want to work for a company that supports and protects access to abortion.
Below are a few key findings from the Leanin.org research:
The majority of women say the overturn of Roe will hurt women’s careers.
- 76% of women are concerned that the overturn of Roe will negatively impact women’s ability to advance in the workforce. This sentiment is even stronger among certain groups of women—for example, 84% of women under 40 and 82% of women of color are concerned.
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82% of women say that having control over whether and when they have a child is critical to pursuing their career goals.
Women—especially younger women—want to work for companies that support access to abortion. Among working women under age 40:
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76% are more likely to want to work for a company that supports access to abortion.
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81% say that supporting access to reproductive healthcare (including abortion) demonstrates an organization’s commitment to supporting and advancing women.
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78% think their employer should take action to protect abortion access in response to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe.
Abortion rights matter to men, too.
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74% of working men under age 40 are more likely to want to work for a company that supports access to abortion, and 73% think their employer should take action to protect abortion access in response to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe.
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79% of all working men say that having control over whether and when they have a child is critical to pursuing their career goals.
