Many Brands Have Spoken Out In Support Of Abortion Access. Where Do They Stand On Parental Leave?

After the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, beauty and wellness brands took to social media to express their opposition to the decision and support for reproductive rights. Several pledged money to organizations providing abortions, and others promised to cover reproductive healthcare for employees, including travel to obtain abortions.

Conversations about reproductive rights in the U.S. often center on abortion—and that makes sense, particularly now. Americans are currently grappling with the consequences of seeing abortion banned in an increasing number of states as a result of Dobbs v. Jackson, and the right to an abortion has been under attack in this country for decades since the Roe opinion was issued in 1973.

However, the reproductive rights movement has long broadened its mission beyond abortion. The World Health Organization, for instance, defines reproductive rights as “the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing, and timing of their children and to have the means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health.”

The focus on preventing unwanted pregnancy and parenthood has been criticized by some scholars and activists due to its ties to eugenics and population control advocates. Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger appealed to white politicians’ desire to stop people of color from reproducing, going as far as to speak at a KKK rally. Even today, doctors are likelier to recommend sterilization to indigenous women.

For these reasons and more, many consider people’s right to have a family in the manner they desire to be a critical component of reproductive rights, along with the right not to. Accordingly, it stands to reason that businesses openly supporting reproductive rights should support employees who choose to have kids if they’re being consistent about their reproductive rights philosophy.

To find out if beauty and wellness brands are looking at reproductive rights this way, we asked about 25 that have gone public with their stance against the revocation of Roe about their family leave policies. Ten brands responded to us. Here’s what they said.

“The tug and pull of career versus parenthood is real”

Haircare brand Prose announced in June that it would donate to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, which fights for comprehensive sex education throughout the U.S., believing that “the root of empowerment and change is education and resources.” The company has opted to reimburse any travel or healthcare costs employees incur while getting abortions or birth control.

Prose’s family leave policy is to provide 12 weeks of paid leave for primary caregivers and four weeks of paid leave for secondary caregivers, the standard in New York, but it’s hoping to expand it.

“We have been conducting research internally and referencing studies regarding parental leave policies like those in Scandinavian and European countries where there is a minimum of six months of support,” says Helen Nwosu, VP of social impact at Prose. “Although we are not there yet, this is our goal at Prose, and we will be working to adapt our policies.”

Prose has an internal team of parents working with its social impact and people teams to improve the experience of parents employed at it. It recently hosted a Parents’ Day at its manufacturing facility, where parents could bring kids to work on a day that they were out of school. Prose donates to organizations supporting women’s health, parental leave, affordable housing, childcare and fair wages such as One Love Community Fridge, The Loveland Foundation, Tankproof, and Providence House.

“It is important that we support reproductive rights and parental leave alike,” says Hwosu. “The tug and pull of career versus parenthood is real. Anyone who has had a sick child, a nanny call out or daycare closure will understand that, and we acknowledge that.”

“It’s about viewing women’s bodies as independent”

Sexual wellness brand Dame Products called on its Instagram followers to help it raise money for grassroots abortion networks following the Dobbs decision, writing, “freedom to access pleasure cannot exist without access to abortion.” Dame offers 12 weeks of paid leave for all parents, whether they’re deemed primary or secondary caregivers.

“It’s crucial that you have parental leave policies that support equal roles and not two different maternal and paternal policies,” says Dame co-founder and CEO Alexandra Fine. “As a person with a womb, a parent and a business owner, I feel deeply about this. It’s hard to think about as a small business without much outside support, but our belief is that you simply cannot have different policies for different people. These policies creep into the home and create systems that we, at Dame, are trying to change.”

She regards parental leave as connected to abortion rights because both are necessary for women’s autonomy. “It’s about viewing women’s bodies as independent of the collective creation of life,” she says. “At the end of the day, we want to help all people learn about the healing powers of pleasure and removing a woman’s right to choose not only impacts this, but all aspects of life from work to home. Most of all, it impacts our ability to have a choice in how we live our lives. If anything, it is more important than ever that we create a welcoming space for all.”

“We are building an infrastructure that supports a feminist revolution”

Skincare brand S’eau Prima posted on Instagram after the end of Roe was revealed. The brand called for a “revolutionary feminism” that helps the most marginalized. Sybil Steele, co-founder and creative director of the brand, says that employees who’ve been with the company for two years or more get eight weeks of paid parental leave. “As we grow and our team grows, we hope benefits and support for them will as well,” she says.

Steele continues, “As a female-founded brand that advocates for women to put themselves first, we believe in companies where parents will have the flexibility and support they need. We are building an infrastructure that supports a feminist revolution, one that gets the patriarchy out of our business. For too long, performance and profit have taken center stage, and it’s time to dismantle the systems, not ask for permission to lead or realize our own futures. Whether in career, reproductive rights, or nurturing our families, we need to look more to a doughnut economy, an economy that respects social and planetary boundaries.”

“We create a safe space for talking about reproduction and reproductive rights”

The skincare brand XYZ Skin released a statement supporting women’s right to choose in late June with links to organizations to support. For employees who’ve worked at the company for two years or more, XYZ Skin offers three months of paid time off and the option to work from home for up to a year along with one day per month of paid menstrual leave.

“We believe parental leave and menstrual leave are part of reproductive rights because they are a way of showing respect toward those who choose (emphasis on choice) to be parents or those who menstruate,” says XYZ Skin intern Tallulah Letscher.

She adds, “For those who are prepared and wanting to have a child, as a community, we want to create a space where our employees feel comfortable to take the time needed to properly nurture a newborn. Menstruating each month is not a choice and, for some, is an uncomfortable part of their lives. By offering menstrual leave as well as parental leave, we create a safe space for talking about reproduction and reproductive rights so that if access to abortion rights becomes a problem, our community is able to come together and support the employee in need.”

“People have the right to choose when and whether to reproduce”

Rolling paper company Papers + Ink created its “A Woman’s Right” collection, a set of rolling papers with image of uteruses and the words “girl pwr,” to raise money for Planned Parenthood of Texas in response to the state’s House Bill 8, which prohibits abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the brand expanded the list of organizations that proceeds will go toward to include the National Network of Abortion Funds.

“We are a small team that hasn’t yet created our own family leave policy outside what is offered by our state,” says Papers + Ink co-founder Carolyn Chu. “In California, you can receive benefit payments of 60% to 70% of your weekly wages for up to eight weeks. Fortunately, we are located in a state that values reproductive rights and has taken a stance ensuring that people have the right to choose when and whether to reproduce. Papers + Ink has always believed that reproductive rights are a basic human right. Unfortunately, there are many places around the world that do not have the same views, which is why we have created the ‘A Woman’s Right’ Kit.”

“We chat about what might need to change given external factors”

Sex toy company Unbound has a series of Instagram Stories on its Instagram account with links to information on how to support abortion rights. Unbound says its family leave policy includes more paid time off than requirements in its state, which is New York, schedule flexibility upon return and a monthly childcare stipend.

“We’re always asking other founders what works for them and evolving our paid leave policy,” says Unbound co-founder and chief creative officer Sarah Jayne Kinney. “We revisit our HR policies every year and chat about how they are working for the team and the company as a whole and what might need to change given external factors like COVID, cost of living or, in this case, a government hostile toward reproductive rights. Based on the needs of our team, we’ve added things like a childcare credit. Our goal is always to offer a policy that allows the company to continue to stay afloat while supporting our team as they navigate life events far more important than work.”

“Forced birth will put many parents in situations that further exacerbate already challenging socioeconomic positions”

Sexual wellness brand Momotaro Apotheca has posted a number of TikTok videos and Instagram posts speaking out against the reversal of Roe v. Wade and offering to help customers affected by it. On top of standard paid medical leave, the brand connects its employees with a network of doulas, says founder Lindsay Wynn.

“As a new parent begins to reintegrate back into work, we also help best assimilate new needs of their family with scheduling, workflow, etc.” she elaborates. “As a company that deals specifically with reproductive rights, gender and sexual liberation, we know creating supportive family networks is so important, and we always do our best to support the specific needs of our team as their families grow.”

Wynn believes her brand’s policies are important in a world where companies that offer parental leave tend to offer it to cisgender women in heterosexual relationships. “Roe extends far beyond abortion care,” she says. “These already fractured systems to support parents are at risk to be further broken or dismantled altogether. Beyond the often sexist and homophobic structures within our postpartum care system, forced birth will put many parents in situations that further exacerbate already challenging socioeconomic positions. The U.S. has continued to fail families seeking government support with regard to necessary family planning and support postpartum. This means everything from healthcare, child care, food assistance and SNAP programs to the foster care system.”

“It’s important that our team members feel supported and safe in any and all of their healthcare choices”

Beauty brand Glossier is among over 70 brands that signed a letter in support of reproductive rights on the Don’t Ban Equality website. It also shared resources to support abortion access on Instagram and added to its emergency fund to cover travel for employees who need it for reproductive care.

Glossier offers 18 weeks of family leave followed by a transition program for all parents as well as reimbursing fertility and family planning expenses. “Glossier believes it’s important that our team members feel supported and safe in any and all of their healthcare choices, which extends to all of our benefits across the board,” says a brand representative.

“Supporting and empowering the health and well-being of women has always been part of our brand’s mission”

Fitness apparel brand Beyond Yoga, another company that signed onto the Don’t Ban Equality letter, posted on Instagram that “protection of reproductive rights, including abortion access, is critical.” The company’s parental leave policy includes eight weeks of parental leave along with existing short-term disability benefits for birth mothers.

“Supporting and empowering the health and well-being of women has always been part of our brand’s mission,” says Ashley Hart, VP of marketing at Beyond Yoga. “Whether that’s paid parental leave or access to reproductive healthcare, we will continue to ensure our employees can get care regardless of where they live.”

“I know how crucial it is to have that bonding time with your child”

Clean beauty brand Tower 28, yet another member of the Don’t Ban Equality coalition that’s spoken out against the Supreme Court decision on Instagram, offers unlimited paid time off to all of its employees, which they’re welcome to use for parental leave, reflecting its “values of autonomy and respect for well-being,” per founder and CEO Amy Liu.

“As an all-female identifying team at Tower 28, we value reproductive rights and support paid leave for any team member who chooses to exercise those rights, especially those who cannot based on state laws,” she says. “As a mother of three, I know how crucial it is to have that bonding time with your child and a moment for your body to recover.”