By Jackie Acho and Eva Basilion
Facebook and Apple recently announced plans to pay for their female employees to freeze their eggs for non-medical reasons. It sounds so friendly to women, doesn’t it? – a triumph of technology over biology, relieving us from the pressure of child bearing and rearing so that we may build our careers. Some people are even predicting the end of pregnancy and a rise in artificial wombs. Wouldn’t that level the playing field with men? Doesn’t it seem that they care about you, your choices, and your career?
Well, they don’t. They don’t care about you. They care about your productivity. They care about your ability to work 80-100 hours/week. Most of all, they care about your short-term profitability. They do NOT care about your long term professional development. And it would seem they don’t even care about the long-term relevance of their own institutions.
In…
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kind-ism 
If these companies didn’t want you to have children, then why do they offer some of the best maternity AND paternity benefits you can find (inside the US). In fact, they offer them in a state that already has some of the best, if not the best, family leave available in the country? Shoot, I heard Google will even pay for your take out dinners over your leave (up to $500) and Facebook pays 17 weeks of PATERNITY leave.
I’ve noticed living in the Bay area that people settle down later. I know several single women in their mid – late 30’s who would love to have kids but don’t want to do it on their own. What is there option? Freezing their eggs. What if they can’t afford to pay for that out of pocket? They’re S.O.L. Maybe these companies are trying to attract/keep these professionals?
I agree, http://www.businessinsider.com/maternity-paternity-leave-policies-at-google-facebook-yahoo-twitter-microsoft-2013-8 shows they’re fairly generous, but we’re still in the dark ages when compared with European and Canadian maternity/paternity leave.
There is also the issue of delaying having children so late that you’re ready to retire and are old enough to be their grandparent. I guess that is what nannies are for.