Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, many large corporations have made public pledges to pay for their employees if they need to travel to a state that will allow them to have an abortion.
To better understand how smaller companies handle this issue, we asked 1,250 business owners and HR managers about their company’s plans for covering abortion travel costs.
The results:
- 52% of companies with employees in states where abortion is illegal or highly restricted have instituted a policy to cover travel costs
- An additional 28% of companies are considering doing the same but haven’t yet
- One in five companies say they have no plans for an abortion travel policy
Over Half of Companies Have Implemented an Abortion Travel Policy
52% of respondents say that their company has already instituted a policy to cover employee expenses if they need to travel to another state for an abortion.
Companies Say it is the Right Thing to Do
When asked why they have implemented this policy, the top answers given were that it’s the right thing to do, they were inspired by other companies doing the same, and they have concerns about employees quitting or missing work if they don’t have the ability to get an abortion.
When asked about their budget per employee for abortion travel expenses, the majority say they are willing to pay in the thousands of dollars per employee. One write-in response added, “We cover medical situations no matter what the situation is. There are no obligations as it’s the employee’s personal situation.”
An Additional 28% of Companies Are Considering Covering Abortion Travel Costs
In addition to the 52% who have already instituted an abortion travel policy, 28% of respondents say their company is considering doing so but hasn’t yet. The top reasons given for considering the policy were the same as for the 52% who have already implemented a plan.
Write-in responses expressed wide-ranging sentiments, for example, “We should have no right to say anything about what a woman does with her body,” “Human rights violations,” “Added benefit to retain and attract workers,” “It will make people want to work for us,” “We are still considering the law here in Texas,” and “To not have protests. If we do, I quit.”
1 in 5 Companies Firmly Against Covering Travel Costs for Abortion
20% of respondents say that their business has no plans to cover employee travel for an abortion. The top reasons given included that it is not a necessary service for an employer to provide, it is against the beliefs of the company, and the business can’t afford to pay for employee travel.
Write-in responses included sentiments such as, “I don’t believe in abortion – except in rape cases,” “I feel like if they need it bad, they will [pay for] it,” and “We are a family-owned business, and all pregnancies are welcome here.”
Methodology
This survey was commissioned by ResumeBuilder.com and conducted online by the survey platform Pollfish on July 8, 2022. In total, 1,250 participants in the U.S. were surveyed. All participants had to pass through demographic filters and screening questions to ensure they were currently employed as an HR manager or the owner/partner of a business and directly involved in benefits management. Additionally, respondents were screened to ensure they had at least one employee in one of the following abortion-restricted or illegal states: AK, AL, AZ, FL, GA, ID, KY, LA, MO, MS, ND, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WI, WV, WY.
