Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Trans employees at Intuit say they feel supported amid political backlash, the founder of VietJet defends her company over a buzzy leasing dispute, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act goes into effect today. Happy Tuesday!
– Pregnancy protections. For 10 years, advocates have fought for better protections for pregnant workers in the U.S. Today, their work comes to fruition; the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is now in effect.
President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law in December as part of the year-end omnibus spending bill. As of today, pregnant workers are entitled to “reasonable accommodations” connected to pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. Previously, workers could claim some protections via the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, but those processes were more onerous, says Sarah Brafman, national policy director at the worker justice organization A Better Balance. Thirty states—but not all—already have similar protections on the books.
“Before the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, workers in this country did not have a nationwide, affirmative, explicit right to get accommodations or job changes at work while pregnant or postpartum,” Brafman explains. “And now they will.”
Workers now have legal protection to request “light duty” in physically demanding jobs, temporary transfers to new duties or teams, more frequent bathroom breaks, a stool to sit on at work, permission to eat or drink while working, or additional time off before or after childbirth. The law also protects the jobs of workers who need flexible scheduling for prenatal appointments or remote work arrangements.
When the PWFA was first introduced a decade ago, it was a Democratic bill. By the time it passed last year, protecting pregnant workers had become a bipartisan issue. The Senate voted 73-24 to add these protections to the spending bill with the support of about half the Republican caucus.
In April, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act went into effect. That law explicitly requires employers to provide employees with time and space for lactation breaks. Lactation-related needs are also protected through the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
“Our federal law, which hasn’t been updated for 40 years, is finally catching up to the needs of workers in this country,” Brafman says.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
@_emmahinchliffe
The Broadsheet is Fortune’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Today’s edition was curated by Kinsey Crowley. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Trans+ at Intuit. Many corporations are retreating in the face of anti-LGBTQ backlash. But trans employees at Intuit, the Fortune 500 financial software company behind TurboTax, Mint, QuickBooks, Credit Karma, and Mailchimp, say they feel the company has stepped up to meet the moment and continued to show meaningful support. Fortune
- Part-time. Switzerland has an impressive workforce participation rate for women, but Swiss women are far more likely than their OECD neighbors to be working part-time. Fewer hours contribute to wage and pension gaps and reinforce traditional gender roles in oppose-sex marriages. Bloomberg
- Odd one out. Representatives from the Group of Seven gathered in Japan last weekend for a two-day summit on gender equality and women's empowerment. Japan was the only country to send a man. Cabinet minister Masanobu Ogura defended his presence by saying that men's support in the push for gender equality is important. Still, it wasn't a good look for Japan, which already ranks the lowest among G7 countries on gender quality. Time
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Kelley Morrell, former head of asset management within Blackstone’s private-equity business, is joining Marc Lore's Wonder as CFO. Former Meta ad executive Carolyn Everson is joining the board at The Knot. Claudia Lima-Guinehut will be EVP and chief merchandising officer at Claire's. Former Disney exec Hristina Georgieva will be the chief business officer at SkyShowtime. Jenna Graime Kurman left Amazon to be the next head of content strategy for corporate affairs at Bechtel.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- Business goals. Y. Michele Kang is the first woman of color to own a controlling stake in a National Women’s Soccer League team—the Washington Spirit. She brings her business background to the industry and believes wholeheartedly that women's soccer is a great investment despite being new to the sport. Her influence is growing as a deal set to close this month will make her the first woman to lead a multi-team soccer organization. New York Times
- Bikini Airlines. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao founded budget airline VietJet Aviation, known as Bikini Airlines for its commercials. The small fleet grounded four aircraft a year ago after missing rental payments, and the lessor is seeking $191 million in a contested legal battle. "Madam Thao" isn't backing down. A self-made billionaire, she hopes to grow VietJet into a global airline akin to Emirates. VietJet has struggled recently as its home base of Vietnam tries to boost its post-COVID economy. Bloomberg
- Asking around. The stealth high-end fashion line The Row, designed by Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, is rumored to be looking for investors to expand into the Asian market. The twins started the line in 2006 and it is coming out of a rocky financial stretch between the Barneys New York bankruptcy (The Row was owed $3.7 million) and the pandemic when many fashion lines were short-changed. Due to the twins' private nature, fashion journalist Lauren Sherman speculates that—if the brand is not trying to fix its balance sheets or fortify against another unforeseen circumstance—The Row could be poised for big growth with more capital. Puck
ON MY RADAR
Coming out at work: Senior executives share their stories Financial Times
Esther Perel thinks all this amateur therapy-speak is just making us lonelier Vanity Fair
TikTok is our DJ now. It’s playing a lot of Meghan Trainor New York Times
The great fashion cancellation that wasn’t Puck
PARTING WORDS
“I give women the same advice as I would give a man and that is make sure you deliver in your current role. That will make an impact on those around you, who will be the ones who give you the best opportunity.”
—GE CFO Carolina Dybeck Happe
This is the web version of The Broadsheet, a daily newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
