Companies offer to pay for female employees to freeze eggs
By: Michael Shingleton, FOX 13 News
TAMPA (FOX 13) – Facebook and Apple are the first in a growing number of companies to offer to pay for elective egg freezing for their female employees.
Both companies made announcements earlier this week.
“It is a game changer for women,” said Dr. Sandy Goodman, fertility specialist at the Reproductive Medicine Group. “This extends a woman’s ability to conceive a little bit beyond what she would have been restricted to in the past.”
Facebook said it made the decision since so many of their female employees had requested it.
The medical procedure can cost up to $20,000, and some think one day it could become “the norm” for companies to offer it in their healthcare benefits.
“I think it’s great for women to say this is what I want to do, and I don’t have limitations. I can dream, I can do, I can achieve, and I can still be able to do all of that a balance my life,” Dr. Goodman said.
In the raging war for talent, Silicon Valley companies are offering an array of new family-planning perks. Apple said it also reimburses eligible expenses associated with the legal adoption of a child.
“Egg freezing gives women more control,” said Jennifer Tye, marketing lead for Glow, a mobile application aimed at helping women avoid pregnancy or conceive.
“When I turned 30, I had this notion that my biological clock was ticking, but I didn’t know what my options were,” said Tye. “These employers should be commended.”
The news has sparked debate on social media. Some commentators say these companies should focus their efforts on creating a more balanced culture, with more flexibility for new parents.
Apple recently introduced new benefits including extended parental leave. Facebook said it offers four months of paid leave for both new mothers and fathers.