Reproductive Health

Businesses are now expected to take the health and welfare of their employees into consideration when making decisions, due in part to legal actions and, in the United States, the work of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. For example, if a business directly or indirectly produces toxic chemicals, the management of the company is expected to seek out alternatives and avoid adverse health effects for its employees. While each employee’s health is required to be taken into account, traditionally, the potential adverse effects for women of reproductive age have been weighed more heavily than other populations. Examining the Canadian nuclear industry, Frances Early found that women of reproductive age were discriminated against when denied positions that posed potential hazards to their ability to reproduce; ...