Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg

In an effort to help women achieve a work-life balance in favor of the enterprise, Facebook Inc. has started offering the option to cover the costs of freezing their female employees’ eggs. Following suit, Apple Inc. will begin offering the same perk in January 2015.

Facebook and Apple will cover the cost of harvesting and storing the eggs for their women employees, which amounts to $8,000 – $10,000 per harvest and an annual storage fee of $300 – $500. Specialists advise women who want to freeze their eggs that they need 20 eggs to increase future chances of getting pregnant. Such is the price of gender equality in the workforce, costing Facebook and Apple more than $20,000 per candidate.

Facebook’s egg-freezing offer is hotly debated, as it could be interpreted as a policy designed to encourage women employees to prioritize their work over family. Yet it’s unlikely Facebook wanted to come across as being unsupportive of their workers’ family-rearing efforts.

The social giant offers $4,000 cash to new parents – whether biological or through adoption and four months of paid parental leave for mothers and fathers. Facebook’s campus is equipped with nursing rooms, and subsidizes daycare costs.

If you’re still not convince that Facebook is one of the best tech companies for women to work for, check out what other tech companies have to offer for their female employees.

Top 9 tech companies for Women

Accenture

Accenture plc is a multinational management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company that offers eight fully-paid leaves for women who gave birth, four fully-paid weeks plus $5,000 in aid for women who adopted a child. The consultancy also offers a Maternity Support Program to provide female executives with managing- Director-level coaches, educational info and discussion groups to help prepare them for the arrival of their children and the eventual return to work. The company also offers backup child care and sick child care.

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AOL

AOL Inc. offers several opportunities for women – with child, expecting, or single. The company offers four leadership development programs, a nationwide women’s network with mentoring circles and workshops, and unlimited tuition aid.

Perks are offered to those who engage in healthy activities and can receive up to $1,100 annually, and the company pays for on-site nutrition counseling, fitness classes, and smoking-cessation and weight-management sessions.

For those who are expecting, they can schedule consultations with nurses and lactation experts, take free childbirth classes and parenting courses, and join new-mom, breastfeeding and parenting groups. AOL’s Dulles, VA headquarters offer a full-time on-site child care center. The company offers six weeks of fully paid maternity leave, two weeks of fully paid leave for adoptive parents, backup child care, and sick child care.

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CA Technologies

Independent software corporation, CA Technologies Inc., takes part in job shadowing, mentoring and leadership programs, and activities for its women employees. It has a state-of-the-art fitness center and offers exercise classes to encourage on site work-outs. Onsite health coaching and programs for disease and lifestyle management are also available for employees to promote well-being.

Moms-to-be are enrolled in a healthy pregnancy program to gain round-the-clock access to trained nurses, and even earn up to $150 for participating. CA Technologies offer a fully paid maternity leave for 9 to 11 weeks, and has an on-site child care center which caters to kids ages 6 months to 6 years, and summer and holiday care for kids under the age of 13. Adoptive parents get four weeks of sully paid leave, but the company doesn’t offer backup child care and sick child care.

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Cisco

Networking equipment giant Cisco Systems Inc. views working flexibly as a right, not a privilege, so it offers alternative work options such as working at home an average of two days per week. For moms who are looking for reduced work hours, they can search for internal jobs marked as “part-time” or “job-share.” Cisco offers an average of six weeks fully paid maternity leave, four weeks of fully paid leave for adoptive parents, and backup child care.

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GE

General Electric Co. provides development resources and runs dozens of mentoring groups for its women employees. Specialists in its Work/Life Connections program help workers locate information on parenting, career and more. GE offer an average of eight weeks fully paid maternity leave, two weeks of fully paid leave for adoptive parents, and backup and sick child care.

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Genentech

Biotechnology company Genentech Inc.’s workforce is comprised of 52 percent female employees who enjoy workspace arrangements that permit employees to change locations throughout the day. This setup was led by three departments to permit travelling at will between private sections, group areas, videoconferening booths and “quiet rooms.” This setup relies heavily on seamlessly integrated technology to make everything work smoothly.

The company offers an average of six fully paid maternity leave and the same perk applies to adoptive parents, as well as backup and sick child care.

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Intel

Intel Corp. offers Awake@Intel, a mindfulness program that teaches employees how to master breathing and meditation techniques to be able to better focus their energy. Women can also take yoga and core fitness classes at on-site gyms while health coaching and mobile workout kits are also available for them.

Intel offers a coordinated pregnancy care programs, $10,000 in annual fertility treatment coverage, an average of eight weeks fully paid maternity leave, and backup child care.

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HP

Hewlett-Packard Co. offers a sponsorship program where women can get involved in mentoring initiatives and get $5,000 in annual tuition aid. Women can also get help with personal matters such as finding child or elderly care services by contacting their employer’s concierge, resource and referral service or employee assistance program. Women get an average of 14 weeks fully paid maternity leave and an average of two weeks fully paid leave for adoptive parents. HP also offers backup and sick child care.

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Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. offers flexible work schedules as well as remote tech permits, which allow their employees to go on business trips while still attending to personal matters such as parent-teacher meetings. It offers an average of two weeks fully paid maternity leave, and for adoptive parents they get $10,000 in adoption assistance and six months of related leave. HP also offers backup and sick child care.

souce: 2014 Working Mother 100 Best Companies

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via photopin cc