Google might have nap pods and all the free peanut M&Ms, but Apple and Facebook are now the first major Silicon Valley companies to pay for female employees’ egg-freezing procedures.
NBC News reports that both Apple and Facebook will offer coverage of egg freezing, which runs at least $10,000, plus a $500 to $800 annual storage fee. While Facebook lists the coverage under a “surrogacy benefit” and Apple under their “fertility benefit,” both companies cover up to $20,000 for the procedure for nonmedical reasons.
The news inspires some mixed feelings. Are Apple and Facebook taking a positive step toward attracting and accommodating female employees? Or is the “perk” of postponing motherhood just another way of suggesting that families and careers are incompatible?