Beyond the womb: a mosaic of organizational advocacy for reproductive justice

ABSTRACT

Within the US, recent calls for greater work-family justice have not only forced organizations to re-conceptualize work, but to re-define the role of organizations themselves. This shift has been striking during times of socio-political change as demonstrated most recently by organizational responses to the reversal of Roe v. Wade, with many companies pledging funding for birthing people seeking abortions. While this type of support is valuable, the singular focus on abortion rights within the reproductive justice context minimizes the scope of its intersectional legacy.

The purpose of this paper is to advocate for the organizational application of a comprehensive framework for reproductive justice (CFRJ) guided by intersectional Black Feminist epistemology. We will show that many US organizations have already engaged in reproductive justice by weaving together a mosaic of three socio-political moments (the pathway to marriage equality, restrictive immigration policies and COVID-19), that garnered organizational support and advocacy. These moments reflect the comprehensive nature of reproductive justice as conceived by the Black Feminists who originated the term. These ‘turning points’ demonstrate the organization’s capacity for leadership during times of crisis. The paper concludes with recommendations that explore potential pathways for moving forward in supporting work-family and reproductive justice within organizations.

KEYWORDS:

• Black Feminism
• organizations
• reproductive justice
• HRD‌
• work-family justice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nicole Dillard

Nicole Dillard (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development (OLPD) department at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Dillard's primary research explores the work and organizational experiences of individuals with marginalized social identities.

Taylor Cavallo

Taylor Cavallo (she/her/hers) is a PhD student in the Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development (OLPD) department at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests are focused on the intersection of labor and gender with an emphasis on the experiences of work and motherhood for millennial women.