"I'll Freeze Your Eggs with Company Money"…This Benefit Sees a Surge in Interest Among Female Employees

"Increase in US Egg Freezing Procedures and Lowering Age Groups"
Supported Companies 5% in 2015 → 15% in 2021
Financial Support from Forbes, Amazon, Starbucks, etc.

The number of companies offering support for egg freezing as an employee benefit is rapidly increasing. As more women, especially in developed countries like the United States, face challenges balancing work life with pregnancy and childbirth, companies are prominently including egg freezing in their welfare benefits to attract female talent.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The New York Times (NYT) reported that the number of female employees in the U.S. considering egg freezing has risen significantly in recent years, marking the emergence of the first generation of companies financially supporting this procedure. Unlike before, when egg freezing or in vitro fertilization (IVF) were seen strictly as personal matters, companies are now gradually shifting toward supporting employees' life concerns through welfare programs.

According to the report, the number of egg freezing procedures in the U.S. increased nearly 300%, from 7,600 cases in 2015 to 29,803 cases in 2022. Spring Fertility, a U.S. fertility clinic, also saw a 37% increase in egg freezing procedures last year compared to the previous year. Dr. James Grifo of New York University (NYU) Langone Fertility Center noted that the average age of patients has dropped from 38 years old five years ago to the early 30s now.

As interest in egg freezing procedures grows, corporate support is becoming more active. Since the freezing procedure itself is very expensive and requires frequent hospital visits, securing time is crucial. NYT reported that in the U.S., a single consultation for egg freezing costs between $4,500 and $8,000 (approximately 6.24 million to 11.09 million KRW), medication costs about $5,000, and annual freezing fees are around $500.

A survey conducted by global consulting firm Mercer targeting U.S. companies found that among employers with 500 or more employees, only 5% supported egg freezing in 2015, but this increased to 15% in 2021. Among employers with over 5,000 employees, 21% reported supporting their employees' egg freezing procedures.

Especially among major welfare providers known as "dream workplaces," such as U.S. tech companies, the proportion offering related benefits was even higher. The first company to include egg freezing as part of corporate welfare in 2014 was a U.S. big tech firm. Among 162 tech companies with over 500 employees responding to Mercer’s survey, 30% supported egg freezing, and 55% provided IVF support benefits.

Amazon expanded its reproductive health benefits, including egg freezing, to cover over one million employees last year. Starbucks set the support cap for related procedures at $25,000 in 2019, and Match Group, which owns several dating applications including Tinder, raised its U.S. reproductive procedure support from $5,000 to $10,000 in 2022. Media group Forbes decided in 2022 to support up to $25,000 for IVF and egg freezing.

The shift toward companies offering egg freezing support as a welfare benefit, once considered a personal matter, is interpreted as a strategy to secure female talent amid fierce competition for human resources. It is also seen as a message that companies are willing to help employees with their personal concerns.

While egg freezing does not guarantee pregnancy or childbirth, many female employees are paying attention to such corporate welfare benefits, according to NYT. Julie Campbell, senior consultant at Mercer, said, "From a company’s perspective, even if it costs money, these benefits help attract female talent and are therefore reasonable. Once competing companies start offering them, all companies will inevitably follow suit."