Employee Attitudes To Social Egg Freezing

Objectives: The aim of this study is work with HR and Leadership Professionals to explore attitudes and access to social egg freezing as an employee benefit.  Insights will be shared with everyone who participates in the hope that this increases awareness of the issue and informs ongoing debate and development in the area.
 
Context on the rise of “social egg freezing”
-       Over the last 7 years, birth rates have plummeted across much of Europe, the US and Asia and in many markets, fertility rate is at an all-time low
-       More and more women are waiting until later in life to have children (In most developed countries, the birthrate of women over 40 has surpassed the rate of women age 20 and younger) there is an increasing awareness amongst women that fertility is compromised later in life
-       As a result,  more and more women are choosing to freeze their eggs – even though they are not infertile they are seeking to “preserve their fertility” in the event that they choose to have children later in life
-       The procedure known as “social” or “elective” egg freezing, increases a woman’s chances of delayed childbearing for social reasons such as education, career development, and the desire to find the right partner. 
 
The context on social egg freezing and employers
-       Employer sponsored egg freezing started in Silicon Valley in 2014. As part of a growing trend towards awareness of employee wellness, several major companies. Facebook, Apple, Google, Uber, Intel, Spotify, Citigroup, J.P Morgan followed with announcements that they will pay for their female employees to freeze their eggs.  
-       Today, one in five US companies offer egg freezing as an employee benefit.  In the United Kingdom the government is currently considering extending the 10 year limit on social egg freezing  meaning that women could be able to freeze their eggs for more than 10 years,  potentially up to as many as 55 years.
-       In response to the changing landscape, insurance companies are offering a wider range of packages and whilst policies vary between countries, many of the core issues remain the same, and most frequently responsibility for these fall to HR / D&I / CPO
 
The need for research
-       In many markets pre-conception care is not a statutory right, so very few places have formal policies in place to support people having treatment yet, studies show that around 85% of women undergoing fertility treatment said it affected their work
-       With more women choosing to freeze their eggs and more companies offering egg freezing as an employee benefit,  women’s experiences need to be a focus of research.  Consultation with key stakeholders is crucial to understand the real-world experience of potentially affected individuals and the competing interests of those involved
-       Throughout the research we refer to access to egg freezing by women, however we acknowledge that access to egg freezing may also be relevant to individuals who do not identify as women
-       The aim of this study is to explore attitudes and access to social egg freezing as an employee benefit.  Insights will be shared with those who participate in the hope that this increases awareness of the issue and informs ongoing development in the area.