How are you achieving equity in leadership?
On June 24th 2022, the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion when they overturned Roe v. Wade. As a mother and executive coach that’s passionate about inclusive leadership, this ruling is devastating and infuriating.
Abortion access is about bodily autonomy. What does abortion access and bodily autonomy have to do with women in the workplace? Everything.
Bodily autonomy is critical to success and sustainability in the workplace for not just the workers but also the organization. Any forward-thinking leader knows that a diverse and gender balanced team thrives and builds a more sustainable and effective output. Having people who can get pregnant on your team makes your team stronger. Having people on your team who can decide when and if they want to be pregnant is how they can be on your team in the first place.
Fifty years ago, women could be fired for getting pregnant, were barred from taking credit cards out in their name, and banned from Ivy league schools. Marriage and the associated expectation around women bowing out of economic life to raise a family contributed to the attitudes that enabled these crippling laws. Pregnancy and marriage were closely tied, with anyone getting pregnant usually marrying immediately. Women’s inability to determine timing on their pregnancies resulted in suffering graduation rates and hesitancy to hire under the concern that these women would get pregnant and leave their employer to raise their families. Roe v. Wade gave women a choice over their bodies and pregnancy, guaranteeing the constitutional right to bodily autonomy. Women since became integral parts of all facets of society, as they should.
In 2021, the number of women running businesses on the Fortune 500 hit an all-time record. Sixty percent of the world’s university graduates are women, and women control the majority of consumer goods buying decisions. In the US, women under 30 out-earn their male peers and forty percent of American households have women as the main breadwinner.
Yet women continue to be underrepresented in most businesses at the senior levels, largely due to invisible barriers and assumptions that are harmful for all genders. For women of color, the invisible barriers are even greater as evidenced by even less representation in leadership positions. The gender roles assumed in business environments put expectations of style of performance instead of performance output, robbing organizations of talent and putting undue pressure on men in power through rigid stereotypes and biases. For example, women are subconsciously not seen as leadership potential, and men are pressured into a specific “business man” archetype that doesn’t actually work for them when asked.
When I heard the words, “Workplaces were not designed for difference” in Michelle King’s Harvard Business Review webinar on How to Address Gender Inequality in Your Organization, I knew this is part of the crisis of the workplace. Forward-thinking leaders know that a workplace can be redesigned for difference. You want a diverse leadership team. Roe v. Wade helped make that possible.
According to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the overturning of the constitutional right to an abortion jeopardizes the economic progress and education of women and threatens to plummet their families into poverty. These invisible barriers that have been slowly eroding over the last fifty years are now strong visible blockades to all members of your organization. In a single ruling, the future of work in this country became tenuous. Of course, this problem is perpetuated by the additional discrimination faced by women of color. Your coworkers who are women of color will statistically feel the effects of this ruling even more than anyone else.
It should be noted that this ruling does not just affect team members that can get pregnant. Men will also face new difficulties in their work. There will be challenges for men in instances of unintended fatherhood, higher maternal death rates for their partners, and stressors on their bodily autonomy.
As someone who chose when and how to become a mother, I know first hand that this right was integral to my successes and contributions to organizations, and to the success of American businesses and the people that run them. It is hard to see the hope for the future of working Americans when a bedrock of equity is withheld.
So what do you do now?
Educate yourself. Learn about women in the workplace before the Supreme Court ruling and what may happen after. This newsletter is a great place to start. Click on the links provided above. Read what the experts are saying. Understand the issues at hand and the economic impact on you and your team.
Acknowledge what’s happening. Most organizations will not make an “official” statement however that doesn’t stop you from being “human.” This isn’t just about politics, this is about caring for your people. You can take a strong stand and official statement like DICK’S Sporting Goods CEO Lauren Hobart but if you’re not in a position (I recognize this is a polarizing issue) you can at least acknowledge that this ruling has happened and it affects members of your team.
Bring in an Expert. You don’t have to have all the answers and you don’t have to do this alone. Personally, companies are increasingly bringing me into their workplace to create intimate conversations to support their high-potential women in leadership through group coaching forums.
Take time for self-care and grace. Many people will find this decision to be infuriating, devastating, and scary. This may include you. Don’t be surprised if you, your colleagues, and employees are experiencing brain fog, distraction, or deep sadness (which can negatively affect your workflow). This is a time for grace with yourself and your team. How can you rejuvenate and allow space for rejuvenation for your team?
Vote. Carol Hanisch’s 1970’s rallying cry, “the personal is political” is more relevant than ever. There are many considerations in political leanings, but if you favor bodily autonomy, check out a voter guide to help you along.
It is easy to be overwhelmed and feel helpless in the face of this overruling, but incremental change is possible and essential for the future of our work. Facing the removal of a ruling that allowed for so much progress in gender equality in the workplace, the question emerges: “What now?” and “what can I do?”
For leadership, this means tackling the lived experience of your team and asking ourselves how do you create a work environment where everyone feels valued and feels like they can be themselves at work. How will you ensure all members of your organization can thrive in your workplace?