Entrepreneur Upasana Konidela recently interacted with the students of IIT Hyderabad. She took to LinkedIn to share a video from her interaction in which she discussed how egg freezing is the “biggest insurance” for young women. The post has sparked debate online.
Upasana said that when she asked the students, “How many of you want to get married?”, she saw that more men raised their hands than women. She said, “The women seemed far more career-focused !!!! This is the new – Progressive India. Set your vision. Define your goals. Own your role. And watch yourself become unstoppable.”
She also shared a video from her IIT Hyderabad visit in which she said that egg freezing is the “biggest insurance” for career-oriented women.
“The biggest insurance for women is to save your eggs because then you can choose when to get married, when you want to have kids, on your own terms when you’re financially independent,” she said.
She continued, “Today, I stand on my own feet. I earn a living for myself. I’m proudly financially independent. This security made me strong and confident to make bold decisions in my life. Do things that work the best for you. Before you reach your 30s, have your goals ready, have your career path set and know how much you’re going to earn at every different point in your life. Earn wealth wise, health wise and relationship wise. If you’re clear about your vision, goal and role in life, you become unstoppable.”
Upasana’s remarks have stirred a debate online, with many questioning the cost of egg freezing.
One user said, “Homework for tonight: Interested people can Google the cost of: 1) Egg freezing in India for 1 cycle. 2) If adequate viable healthy eggs are not collected in 1st cycle, then what is the cost of subsequent cycles? 3) Cost of storage of these eggs annually? 4) What is the cost of IVF per cycle to implant these eggs back in the woman? 5) Finally, what is the cost of the mental stress the woman faces to get the IVF procedure done? Can this be counted??”
Another added, “She is basically selling apollo IVF egg freezing business, by creating a use case of linking Financial independence to kids (she ignored important part, HUSBAND as support system, as if it is crime or against relationship ).”
A third user added, “Marriage is a personal choice that one should make based on his or her unique circumstances. It is not a scientific formula that can be applied across the board with uniform results. To conclude that “not marrying is a marker of progress” is not only incorrect but can also create damaging ideas for young minds.”
Someone posted, “A career can be rewarding. But to say, “not choosing to marry” is progressive India, is like saying, don’t have a life, just work and be an input in this economic machine.”
Yet another said, “People who prioritize career over personal life will eventually realise the mistake they did but it would be too late by then.”