Women’s Rights & Body Autonomy: The Financial Impact

Attacks on women’s rights and autonomy have felt deeply personal lately. 50 yrs ago this life I love and work hard to create, wouldn’t have been possible: divorced mom, business owner, home owner.

Our mothers and grandmothers tolerated a whole lot of shit on the road to progress, and there’s no doubt we have come a long way. When my mom was 18, women were given the right to open credit without a male cosigner and had access to safe abortion. My grandmother couldn’t open a bank account or expect equal pay and had no access to medical birth control.

In 1973, when the Supreme Court ruled abortion a fundamental right, generations were

impacted by the financial effects. Regardless of your personal opinions about abortion, it’s indesputable that being in control of our reproductive future has a direct effect on women’s financial stability.

FACTS::

Estimates say women will be unable to terminate approximately 75,000 unplanned births in the first post Roe year alone

Abortion denial leads to a years-long increase in poverty rates– including bankruptcy, evictions, inability to cover basic living expenses, and lower credit scores

Without abortion restrictions, employed women 16-44 would collectively earn 101.8 billion more annually than their restricted counterparts.

A woman’s income drops by 4% for every child she has

The U.S. is the only industrialized country that doesn’t mandate paid sick leave or paid parental leave and already has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developed world

Low income women are five times more likely to experience unplanned pregnancy

Abortion restrictions will cost the U.S. economy $105 billion annually in reduced earnings, increased job turnover, and time out of the labor force.

We feel strongly about autonomy, financial stability, using our businesses to build a life and a living we love. All of these things will be deeply affected by the current policies. If you don’t agree, feel free to quietly unfollow. If you agree, then do your part. Support abortion funds in your state. Tell local and state reps how business owners of their communities feel. And support women in your lives that are feeling angry and powerless right now.