Many researchers agree that the 1973 decision had an impact on the labor market. Indeed, women made up 43% of the workforce in 1970; today, they are more than 57%: that's more than half !

Having the power to choose, women were able to complete their education, avoid being in poverty with a newborn often without any social safety net, and so on.

If the decision is overturned, at least half of the states are expected to ban or severely restrict access to abortion. For wealthy women, this change would mean traveling to another state to have the procedure. For women in precarious situations, without the financial means to pay for travel and to cover missed work, it would be catastrophic.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen even recently said that there will be clear economic consequences for affected women. It is also worth remembering that access to child care is already extremely difficult and that there are no regulations to financially support women who wish to take maternity leave. As I wrote in a previous column , companies are not required to provide benefits in this regard.

Milk shortage

What about baby formula? There is currently a shortage of baby formula to the point where when a store's shelves aren't empty, customers are being asked to ration their milk. Supply chain issues , labor shortages and a plant closure in Michigan are just a few of the factors behind the problem.

The situation is so dire that President Joe Biden has invoked a Cold War-era law to ramp up formula production and has also created an airlift to get milk from overseas! The situation is a serious public health issue, but it is also holding back many mothers who want to return to the workforce. With little or no maternity leave, they return to work when their toddler is often still breastfeeding or simply needs formula.

Companies are getting involved

Since April, there has been enormous pressure on American companies to take a stand on abortion rights and denounce this possible step backwards. Some have spoken out and some have even offered to pay the travel expenses of employees who need to have a procedure outside the state where they work. Among them: Apple, Amazon, Bumble, Yelp, Citigroup, Airbnb and Levi Strauss, etc. The Quebec author and journalist, Liz Plank, asked American companies, in an article in Fortune , to take a stand immediately as they have done in the past.

Whether it is for same-sex marriage, Black Lives Matter , trans rights or even the denunciation of restrictions on the right to vote in certain southern states of the United States, several have publicly opposed it.

According to her, their "enthusiasm" to speak out is seriously behind schedule. If a similar situation were to occur in Quebec, it would be interesting to see how businesses would position themselves. What happens on the other side of the border is often a sign of what could happen here.

With the job shortage, this other issue of infant formula is likely to make an already difficult situation worse. When will there be social reform? A question I still ask. Although the situation is far from perfect in Quebec, we are much luckier than some of our American neighbours. However, we must not take this for granted. Women and work, a fragile subject that cannot be avoided and that deserves to be constantly reviewed and corrected.