Silicon Valley is long way from solving its many gender issues. But at least in some ways, it's helping to break new ground for women in the workforce.
According to a report from NBC News, Apple will start paying for the costs of egg freezing for their female employees beginning in January, following in the footsteps of Facebook. It's all part of a recent movement among Silicon Valley companies to bolster their arsenal of perks for female workers, which include everything from giving employees $4,000 in "baby cash" to use however they choose (Facebook) to paying for fertility treatments up to $15,000 (Apple).
Some view this the egg-freezing perk with skepticism, questioning whether it sends the wrong message to our larger society. But ultimately, it's a good thing---another option for women struggling to deal with the reality that their ideal childbearing years can conflict with crucial career-building years. It's also a way for technology firms to support female employees, something that's especially welcome given Silicon Valley's infamously male-dominated workforce. All the better if such efforts allow those companies to lure new talent as well.
Egg freezing is an expensive endeavor. One round of egg freezing can cost $7,000 to $12,000, plus storage and drug fees that can run patients another $4,000 a year. And doctors recommend that women freeze at least 20 eggs, which means at least two expensive rounds. An egg freezing payment program is no small company perk.
According to NBC, both Apple and Facebook cover the cost of egg freezing up $20,000. At Apple, it's part of the company's fertility benefit, while at Facebook, it falls under surrogacy. Women at Facebook, NBC reports, have already taken advantage of the perk. The news could help spur even more companies to offer such perks, and ultimately, it could lead to greater cultural acceptance of egg freezing.
Yes, some wonder if that's what we really want. "Would potential female associates welcome this option knowing that they can work hard early on and still reproduce, if they so desire, later on?" Glenn Cohen, co-director of Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics asked in a blog post he penned last year. "Or would they take this as a signal that the firm thinks that working there as an associate and pregnancy are incompatible?"
In other words: Do we really want to support a society that requires us to work so hard that we don't have time to raise children?
But the thing to remember is that companies like Apple and Facebook are simply opening up egg freezing as a possibility. While we wait for the incremental changes to happen that makes it easier for women to make choices in the world freely, it provides more choice. It's not for everyone. But it's for some.
