To many people, the phrase “freezing eggs” might remind them of their last meal at Einstein Bros. in the Union, but for female employees of Apple and Facebook, it’s significantly more positive.
Last week, the Silicon Valley companies both announced that they will cover egg freezing for nonmedical reasons. This is great news for women in the tech world, but because the process of egg freezing isn’t very well known, this announcement left many scratching their heads.
The fancy scientific name for egg freezing is oocyte cryopreservation, during which a woman’s eggs (or oocytes), are extracted, frozen and then stored. When she is ready to have a child, the eggs are removed from storage, fertilized and placed right back into their home in her uterus. If Walt Disney can be cryonically frozen, why can’t a part of my reproductive system?
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a college kid whose ideas about pregnancy and babies contain words like “ew” and “no thanks.” But for many women who have busy jobs, other children or a lack of financial security, egg freezing is the best option to have children exactly when they want them.
That’s why this is such an advancement for women in the often-sexist technology industry. Although egg freezing is a relatively simple process, it is expensive. For one cycle of extraction, prices range from $5,000 to $12,000. Add in the storage fee of $500 to $800 per year, and you’ll realize why egg freezing is only popular with wealthy, childless couples.
If you’re a 20-something working for Facebook or Apple, the cost of egg freezing and the subsequent storage might seem as scary as the cost of having an actual child. With tech companies raking in more money year after year, it would be a crime for them to not include cryopreservation in their health care coverage for female employees.
But because this is a news story that directly affects women, there’s a seemingly mandatory backlash. Most of the negative reactions to this story, however, are from women.
Many are criticizing the positive angle of the announcement’s coverage, saying that encouraging female employees to get their eggs frozen has benefits for the companies too.
Danielle Friedman said on NBCnews.com, “…in the most cynical light, egg-freezing coverage could be viewed as a ploy to entice women to sell their souls to their employer, sacrificing childbearing years for the promise of promotion.” She also notes this can influence women to stay with their company longer and can help the company cut down on “pregnancy costs” further down the road.
Another response to this story comes from Melissa McEwen, who runs the blog “Hunt, Gather, Love.” McEwen says that this is just another ploy of “corporate feminism” — akin to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In movement — and adds that it “isn’t about making women’s lives better, it’s about increasing our productivity for the good of the company.”
Although I admit the Karl Marx in me was curious about Facebook and Apple’s motives behind covering egg freezing, I have to say that I don’t see any downsides for women here.
While these criticisms are valid, I don’t think Apple and Facebook’s new egg-freezing coverage will automatically turn female employees into soulless drones whose lone purpose is to serve their employer.
Although I hate to say it, it looks like feminism and capitalism are slowly trying to merge to benefit both women and corporations.
SidneyRose Reynen is a 19-year-old film and media arts sophomore from New Orleans, Louisiana. You can reach her on Twitter @sidneyrose_TDR.