https://twitter.com/Oh_LivaLittle/status/306601889728974849
Moira Donegan considers why Ivy League graduates are so in-demand:
Like many of the jobs that young women are recruited for, the egg retrieval process, though undeniably strenuous, is not a task that requires a college degree to perform. Following a doctor’s orders to inject themselves with hormones every night and enduring the pain and discomfort of the donation process does not draw upon the skills that donors went to school to cultivate. That educated women are in demand for this service is one thing. That they are willing to provide it is another.
But the job market, after all, is sluggish, even for those who have invested heavily in their own credentials, and the combination of climbing costs of living with stagnant wages and substantial debt liabilities means that smart young women settle for opportunities that do not call upon the full scope of their talents. It is not hard to understand that having a degree is no longer any guarantee of a livable income, and that for many it has instead provided a debt obligation that precludes much material comfort.
What’s more confounding is the way that the student debt burdens that lead many women to egg donation are the result of the same elite educations that make their eggs desirable, and the way that many egg donors, in their aspirations and experiences, so closely resemble the people who are purchasing their services.
Update from a reader:
As a potential buyer of such eggs, it seems blindly obvious why Ivy League eggs are in demand:
1) Getting into an Ivy League school requires brains and dedication. While genetics alone do not determine intelligence, it is a significant factor, so if you want a smart kid you try to get smart genetics. Nothing is guaranteed, but you want the best shot you can reasonably get at the moment. Given that my wife went to high end school (a PhD in STEM field from Wesleyan) means that we are also seeking to replace her eggs with at least comparable ones, if not better.
2) The dedication needed to get into and stay in an Ivy League school means that you are more likely to take the hormone shots when you are supposed to, show up on time and generally carry out what is required of an egg donor.
3) Getting and staying in an Ivy League school means you cannot be indulging into too many drugs. Once again, not guarantee, but you assume better than average.
4) If you are in an Ivy League school that means you are young. When it comes to eggs, young is good. The people like my wife and me need eggs because we (she) are past our reproductive prime to the point that we are not able to reproduce not only on our own but with the help of hormone shots. Our friends are mostly in the same boat, though even if they are still able to get pregnant on their own their eggs are past their prime leading into increased health risks.
5) The general pool of donor eggs consists of a lot of young women with less than stellar educational backgrounds, or at least it did five years ago, so it’s not like you are saying I want Harvard instead of the University of Michigan.
BTW – I’ve also seen a premium on models and actresses as well.
The Dish 