How Do We Foster a Fair and Equitable Work Environment After the Overturn of Roe v. Wade

In celebration of Pride month, our People and Culture team hosted a transgender education and advocacy speaker from the Resource Center, a non-profit supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. We shared a safe space to learn and ask questions to become better informed LGBTQIA+ allies and champions. One particular story persisted long past our morning together, and it feels appropriate to share it now as we learn how to navigate a post-Roe America.

While attending the funeral of a transgender woman who had been a victim of violence, the Resource Center advocate recounted this quote from the woman’s eulogy: prejudice rarely survives experience. This poignant message of hope says that engaging people of diverse backgrounds, and sometimes with vehement differences, will one day help us overcome what divides us.

American women were in crisis before the U.S. supreme court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. According to research from the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), women lost 12.2 million jobs between February and April 2020, reversing an entire decade of job gains. And in its June 2022 fact sheet on labor statistics, the NWLC reported that, while May marked 17 consecutive months of job growth, women are still down almost one million jobs since the start of the pandemic two years ago.

The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization created even more disparity for women in the workforce by eliminating protection for abortion, resulting in its criminalization, depending on the state. So, how should companies with U.S. operations react? Some would ask, is it wise for companies to comment on such a divisive issue?

We believe companies are responsible for fostering a fair and equitable work environment. As an organization that places the utmost value on supporting our people, Schoox has decided to provide financial assistance to U.S. employees who need to travel to a different state for abortion access. The benefit is available to all employees, including team members who are not enrolled in the company medical plan, and serves to bridge the healthcare gap created by the Dobbs ruling.

Beyond resolving the disparity in the company health plan, Schoox remains committed to the principle of bringing your whole self to work—whatever that looks like. For this reason, we do not shy away from tough topics. We find a way to listen, learn, and engage – with the hope that our shared stories will one day overcome our differences. 

Resources:

Resource Center – Nonprofit providing education and services to the LGBTQIA+ community

National Women’s Law Center – Nonprofit advocating for women’s rights and LGBTQ rights