A new study reveals state abortion bans are reducing women’s participation in the workforce and determining where people choose to live.
Survey data from 10,000 adults found one in five respondents planning to have children within the next decade has moved, or knows someone who has, to another state because of reproductive-care restrictions in their current location.
Melissa Mahoney, senior research economist at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, said states like Maine, which protect abortion rights, could benefit.
“The labor markets in states that protect abortion tend to be more welcoming for women with higher wages, greater access to health insurance (and) also stronger labor force participation,” Mahoney outlined.
Mahoney pointed out the 17 states banning abortion are costing the U.S. economy roughly $61 billion each year. The findings mirror results from a similar study issued earlier this year by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Women make up half the workforce, and for businesses, restrictions on access to reproductive health care can affect their ability to recruit and retain employees, or make their bottom line. Mahoney cautioned employers should be mindful of a potential “talent drain” if workers cannot get the care they need.
“Many, in addition, are asking more of their employers in terms of reproductive health care benefits, in terms of speaking out against abortion restrictions in their states,” Mahoney observed.
Mahoney noted a majority of survey respondents, 57%, said they are more likely to apply for or accept a job with reproductive health care benefits as part of the offer. Abortion is legal in Maine up to the point of fetal viability, which is generally considered to be around 24 weeks of pregnancy.
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