07. Acces to reproductive health and family formation
How does this Building Block manifest in the workplace and supply chain?
When it comes to healthcare benefits for the employees, companies heavily focus on maternity leave, however, other aspects of health like physical, nutritional and mental health remain under-focused. Approximately 190 million women work in global supply chains concentrated in countries with high unmet needs for women’s health services. Limited access to healthcare robs women of the opportunity to lead long, healthy and productive lives. In addition, there are examples of women’s reproductive rights being violated at the workplace. For example, women being forced to take anticonception pills or women losing their job or career advancement opportunities when pregnant or forced pregnancy testing as part of the recruitment process. In some contexts, women lack access to menstrual hygiene products which results in absenteeism for the company. Working women also face other challenges in accessing care include logistical constraints and lack of time, due to busy work schedules combined with unpaid care duties. These challenges are particularly difficult for pregnant women and women from poor, rural households.
Having control over their reproductive, physical and mental health will ensure that women can be healthier, more empowered and with better decision-making power in their personal and professional life. It also includes having access to healthcare and the ability to make decisions in this regard is a crucial element of women’s economic empowerment and resilience. The companies’ health and well-being policies for women must be robust by factoring in their roles as caregivers within families.
How could your organization promote of access to and control over reproductive health and family formation?
Improve women worker’s access to health services, by taking away practical barriers, i.e. allowing workers to go during working hours or providing workers with financial support to access health services.
Provide menstrual hygiene products at work and ensure gender-specific /gender-neutral WASH facilities in keeping with the worker’s Right to Hygiene
Set up workplace health programs
Build the capacity of workers on access to control over reproductive health and family formation
Ensure that respect for women’s reproductive rights is included in supplier code of conducts and HR policies and procedures.
Ensure that there are social protection schemes in place that can provide necessary support and protection to women in times of crisis (like the pandemic). For companies this can look like adhering to State mandated regulations for social security for employees. Social protection benefits can include, but are not limited to, paid parental leaves, legal protections for maternity, unemployment benefits, childcare support, micro-pension schemes
What questions could you ask within your organization and supply chain to promote access to and control over reproductive health & family formation?
- Are there policies and procedures in place relating to employees and supply chain workers access to health & family formation?
- Are there any experiences that aren’t currently addressed by these policies and procedures?
- Are the policies and procedures easy to navigate for all employees and supply chain workers? Who might find it challenging?
- Are there any assumptions or biases that influence the policies and procedures?
