Apple & Facebook incentivise female employees to freeze eggs
Technology giants Apple and Facebook have come under fire for incentivising their female employees to freeze their eggs in a ploy to allow them to work longer before starting a family.
According to American broadcaster NBC the unconventional incentive has been devised as a creative means of encouraging more women to pursue a career in the notoriously male dominated field. Facebook is offering up to £12,500 to employees willing to undergo the procedure with Apple set to follow in January.
Brigitte Adams, founder of the patient forum Eggsurance.com, told NBC: “Having a high-powered career and children is still a very hard thing to do. By offering this benefit, companies are investing in women and supporting them in carving out the lives they want.”
An Apple spokesperson commented: “We want to empower women at Apple to do the best work of their lives as they care for loved ones and raise their families.’
Critics of the measure have warned that it may send a signal that management associate pregnancy and work as being incompatible.