Apple, Facebook Paying To Freeze Eggs Of Female Employees
CUPERTINO, Calif. (CBS SF) - Apple Inc. will join Facebook in offering a unique new perk for future parents.
Facebook began covering egg freezing for workers earlier this year, becoming the first major employer on record to do so. Apple will reportedly add the perk in January.
The process allows women cto essentially postpone childbirth, at a cost of $10,000 and up. The companies have slightly different policies, both offering up to $20,000 in total.
Dr. Carl Herbert of the Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco says the best time for a woman to freeze her eggs is in her early 30s. He's seen an increase in women wanting the procedure over the last 5 years.
"The population of women who would need it are the professional women, the ones who are building a career, and have the potentials to become CEOs and top level people but need years to do that."
Fertility specialists say this may be an effort to pay back career-driven women who want children down the road for their commitment to the company. Silicon Valley employers have been generating headlines over the last year for a lack of women in the workforce, particularly in executive positions.