The New York Times presented a most interesting article by writer Claire Cain Miller on October 14, 2014 entitled: “Egg Freezing as a Work Benefit? Some Women See Darker Message.”
The article puts forward some thought-provoking ethical arguments about the fact that both Facebook and now Apple are paying women as much as $20,000 to have their eggs frozen so they can work longer – and delay child-bearing. Is this a good thing or a bad thing; most of all is it an ethical thing?
Ms. Miller writes:
“By paying for women to delay pregnancy, are employers helping them achieve that balance — or avoiding policies that experts agree would greatly help solve the problem, like paid family leave, child care and flexible work arrangements?”
If you are a young woman in the workplace and your company wants to pay you to put your career on hold by freezing your eggs, would you do it?
Many issues, so little time
I want to start this section with another quote from the article that needs to be brought into the conversation:
“Workplaces could be seen as paying women to put off childbearing. Women who choose to have babies earlier could be stigmatized as uncommitted to their careers. Just as tech company benefits like free food and dry cleaning serve to keep employees at the office longer, so could egg freezing, by delaying maternity leave and child-care responsibilities.”
When I said, “so little time” above, I meant time in a literal sense. Despite Apple, Facebook and the myriad of tech companies offering their workers incredible benefits to chain them to their desks, they are leaving out a very important variable: time.
Whether we make our livings exploring the edges of the social media or by edging gardens, what unites us all is time.
A young woman of 27 who is a rising star at Facebook may very well elect to freeze her eggs for a decade – or more. It is her prerogative. However, let me introduce one last quotation from the very excellent article:
“’Doctors estimate there have been about 2,000 births from frozen eggs, though there is no official data. Women who freeze their eggs when they are younger than 35 have a 10 percent to 12 percent chance of giving birth per egg, and women who do it when they are older than 35 have a 6 percent to 8 percent chance or lower,’ said Marcelle Cedars, director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of California, San Francisco. Women are advised to harvest and freeze 10 to 20 eggs.”
Given the current state of medical technology, what the quote seems to be saying is that the now youngish woman of 37, may only have a six percent or lower chance of having a baby per egg. Where will Facebook or Apple be then?
Suppose the woman elects to put off until she was 40? Facebook might like that, I am sure, but at 40 the dynamics change; time compresses. I can see where women might indeed see a darker message. The message being something like: “Apple or Facebook is more important than you having children. Is it?”
Then there is another fear regarding time. If Apple or Facebook or any other company convinces a woman to delay childbirth so that she can keep working, what happens in the so very young world of technology when the now 38 or 40 year old and is suddenly perceived as being “older” when she returns to the company?
Forcing women down a road
It seems as though “freezing eggs” is almost a strategy of ultimatum rather than a choice. The companies are delaying and deferring a choice rather than offering alternatives. Instead of offering women a way to have children and to work, they are telling her to delay children for the sake of work. Is that fair? Is the strategy stigmatizing working women even more?
Here are some other ideas that come to mind: can’t Facebook with its technology and billions of dollars, set up communications in the woman’s home for six or more months so that she is always a virtual part of the team? Suppose (radical idea) a tech company offers a stipend to the father so he can work from home and care for his child? Perhaps Apple can create a nursery at their offices and allow their employees generous bonding time with their children.
I am sure the women in my “audience” can put forward a dozen more ideas. From an ethics perspective, I am getting a queasy feeling about this and I would love your input.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!
