Children or career – Photo: huffingtonpost.com

The news that Apple and Facebook decided to pay women employees for freezing their eggs took me a bit by surprise. I realize, as incongruous as it may sound, that there is such a thing as the motherhood penalty, or that some may leave the widening gender inequality in the hands of karma. Yet when it comes to deciding upon our fertility as women, I still tend to be a traditionalist at heart.

Certainly, this is an amazing perk, as the cost of freezing eggs can add up to $10,000 per round of treatment. And considering at least 2 rounds are needed for the recommended 20 eggs for fertilization, this procedure does cost a pretty penny. Having companies such as Apple and Microsoft in male-dominated Silicon Valley volunteer to invest such money in their female employees will undoubtedly be a great opportunity for many women. It will afford many a woman the choice to delay pregnancy and focus on their career, or even help with health issues forcing them to consider having children later in life.

However, for those women who want both motherhood and career success, what message are these companies sending? Does this mean women must now choose between motherhood and career? And if they choose motherhood, that their chances at succeeding in their careers are diminished? Or if they choose to delay motherhood and focus on their careers, that having children was out on the back seat?

For many women, the choice is not that easy. While we may not want or need to have it all, some choices are among the most difficult to make, and have longer lasting consequences and implications than a couple of fertilization treatments. Do we want this type of choices to now be institutionalized and made the norm?

 What do you think? Are companies offering to pay employees’ costs to freeze their eggs sending the wrong message?

The Corporate Sis.