Surrogacy Helps Level the Playing Field Between Men's and Women's Careers

Surrogacy allows women to experience pregnancy in much the same way a male partner might. Because the women who use a surrogate have no impact on their own bodies (or less impact, depending on if they harvest their own eggs), they can continue doing the exact same activities without much interruption. They can continue working or enjoying their usual activities without the fatigue, physical changes, and hormonal mood swings that occur. Without the physical toll of pregnancy, the disruptions are minimized. Whether that be for career freedom or to spend more time taking care of existing children, this is important.t Especially for women in high-powered jobs, using a surrogate can help level the playing field between men and women. "There’s an advantage to being pregnant, the bonding, I understand that, and from experience I can say that most women love to be pregnant. But a lot of women don’t want to be pregnant and lose a year of their careers,” fertility specialist Dr Vicken Sahakian told the Guardian. While both partners might attend some of the more crucial doctors appointments, they don't need to be present for every single one. That fact alone frees up hours of time over the course of nine months (or more, if you include postnatal visits). Both this physical freedom and freedom of time can begin to level the playing field between men and women at work. This is all the more important given the usual timing of pregnancies—when women are in their late 20s and early 30s—at a crucial point in building their future careers. When women are taken out of their careers for a year or more at this crucial time, it can be difficult to recover. With surrogacy, at least some of the discrimination that women endure can be reduced. “I am very proactive when it comes to women and I believe there is a double standard,” fertility specialist Sahakian said. “Every day I see how prejudiced this society is, how male chauvinistic it is, how women are judged.”