Corporations and Performative Allyship for Reproductive Rights
Several corporations are being performative allies for reproductive rights these days, and it’s kind of making me vomit in my mouth a little.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade on June 24, major corporations in the US started advertising that they would pay for travel costs for any employees who needed to seek abortions in other states. While these claims may seem supportive at first look, they are really just knee-jerk reactions by corporations trying to capitalize on the disenfranchisement of people with uteruses.
Performative allyship happens when a person or group claims to be an ally to a marginalized group for their own personal reputation over the actual needs and concerns of the marginalized group. I see this happening with these corporations right now for several reasons.
First, allyship prioritizes listening to the groups most impacted by the marginalization. In this situation, this would include employers providing spaces to listen to all employees who can become pregnant. (Note that I’m using “all who can become pregnant” because this is not a single gender issue nor is it a simple conversation.) I have a tough time believing that these corporations conducted widespread listening and sensemaking sessions across their employee groups in a few days. Allyship takes time.
Second, allyship involves an understanding of the issue complexity and intersectionality. When it comes to reproductive rights, the right to access different health care options around a pregnancy is much bigger than a single decision to end a pregnancy. Reproductive rights are directly connected to economic justice. Bringing a baby into this world and continuing to raise that child requires a lot of money over several decades.
From the first doctor appointments to confirm a pregnancy to baby delivery costs to housing for another person to clothing to food to health insurance to school supplies to…the list goes on. My kids are 22, 17, and 14 years old. It costs our family about $50,000 per year to support them right now. This doesn’t include the previous years nor the upcoming years of college tuition and other life events.
I mention this because I am curious if these corporations paying for travel costs to get abortions are addressing the bigger issues of economic justice, such as gender pay equity, housing accessibility, health care coverage and affordability, student loan debt, etc. If a corporation cannot address how they’ve been supporting people who can get pregnant before this Supreme Court decision, then I struggle to believe these corporations actually care now with the single act of covering travel costs. How about taking the money you suddenly found for travel costs and achieving pay equity for all genders in your corporation? Or providing health care plans that fully cover the cost of birth control and pregnancy/delivery?
And third, allyship involves taking a stand that includes sacrifice. Paying for travel costs to access abortions sounds amazing on the surface, but what are these corporations asking of their employees who want to access this benefit? Reproductive rights are directly connected to privacy. A basic right to privacy has been taken away. So, corporations now want employees who need an abortion to share this private news and decision with their employer? Really? That’s only taking more privacy away from the marginalized group. It’s creating MORE harm.
Taking a stand for your employees may require giving them more money for health care without knowing how they will use it. It may require giving employees more paid time off without corporations tracking it directly to sick leave. This kind of allyship aligns with the consistent feedback of all employees right now – the need for more autonomy and flexibility. How this works in your organization will vary since each employee brings unique needs. Again, allyship prioritizes listening to the marginalized groups. What are your employees saying?
These are just a few reasons that my ears of cynicism perk up these days when I see some of these corporate statements and so-called efforts to fight for reproductive rights. Corporations, it’s time to start really showing up as allies and get some skin in the game. Otherwise, we clearly know where you stand and don’t care to support your performative allyship.
(FYI reproductive rights are also directly connected to racism, health equity, bodily autonomy, and many other things, but I’m just focusing on a few points here.)
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
Additional Resources:
Performative Allyship: What Are The Signs And Why Leaders Get Exposed by Carmen Morris
Confronting Power Asymmetries in Partnerships to Address Grand Challenges by Barbara Gray, Jill Purdy, and Shahzad Ansari
Forget Flexibility. Your Employees Want Autonomy. by Holger Reisinger and Dane Fetterer