Facebook, Apple pay for women to freeze their eggs

Apple and Facebook have set a new standard for employee perks, offering to pay for female staff to freeze their eggs.

According to NBC News, these companies appear to be the first major employers to offer this coverage for non-medical reasons.

Facebook has already started covering the procedure, which costs at least $11,000 per round plus about $600 annually for storage, and Apple will commence in January, NBC News reports.

Advocates say coverage for egg freezing supports women who wish to delay motherhood and focus on building their careers while their healthy eggs are in storage.

"The perk enforces Silicon Valley's obsessive work mentality and gender progress — so, in this case, women can have it all!" wrote Gawker media blog Valleywag.

Others say the benefit will also encourage women to stay with their employer longer, cutting down on recruiting and hiring costs.

Facebook and Apple already offer fertility treatment and adoption benefits.