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Who Benefits? Employer Subsidization of Reproductive Healthcare and Implications for Reproductive Justice

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  • Annie McGrew
  • Yana Rodgers

Abstract

With the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, many U.S. employers announced they would reimburse employees for abortion-related travel expenses. This action complements increasingly common employer policies subsidizing employee access to assisted reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization and egg freezing. This article reflects on why employers offer these benefits and whether they enhance or undermine reproductive justice. From the employer's perspective, abortion and assisted reproductive technologies help women to plan childbearing around the demands of their jobs. Both are associated with delayed childbirth and reduced fertility, which lower the costs of motherhood to employers. However, firm subsidization of these services does not further reproductive justice because it reifies structures which incentivize women to delay childbirth and reduce fertility, and it reinforces economic and reproductive inequalities. We conclude by questioning whether reproductive justice is possible without transforming the economy so that it prioritizes care over profits.

Suggested Citation

  • Annie McGrew & Yana Rodgers, 2026. "Who Benefits? Employer Subsidization of Reproductive Healthcare and Implications for Reproductive Justice," Papers 2603.00830, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2603.00830
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    References listed on IDEAS

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