Egg-Freezing? Put Flex Time, Daycare First

Somewhere between calls to “break the glass ceiling” and the war cry to “have it all,” working women found themselves also saddled with the expectation they be it all: the breadwinner, caregiver, fitness queen, thoughtful BFF, sex goddess … the list, it seems, is infinitely expanding. Women strive to fulfill these roles while remaining on the losing end of the wage gap and continuing the hardscrabble fight for representation in the executive ranks (even as they make up nearly half the labour force in Canada).

The pressure is immense.

In stepped a few corporate giants with a plan meant to help young (and youngish) women across North America build their careers, while relieving them of pesky biological-clock considerations: Apple, Facebook and others started subsidizing egg freezing. This, Apple said at the time, could empower women “to do the best work of their lives as they care for loved ones and raise their families.”

The move elicited cheers for being a step forward for women – a progressive investment in historically inhospitable industries, such as tech and banking. And...