Thousands of women across the United States have joined a class-action suit demanding better compensation for egg donors. The case was lodged this week in San Francisco by two firms, Finkelstein Thompson and Cafferty Faucher. It claims that the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and the San Francisco-based Pacific Fertility Center engaged in anti-competitive behaviour to fix the price paid to egg donors.

The Federal or state governments do not regulate egg or sperm donation, except in Louisiana and Indiana. However, non-binding guidelines set by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine for fertility clinics stipulate that egg donors should normally be paid no more than $5,000 and that compensation over $10,000 is “inappropriate”.

A quick browse on the web indicates that males can receive between US$65 and $100 per donation. At a company called California Cryobank sperm donors are reimbursed up to $100 per donation and up to $1200 a month if they donate 3 times a week. It offers incentives such as movie tickets or gift certificates as well. The process of donation is more onerous for women, of course, but their compensation varies wildly. Despite the industry guidelines, egg brokers offer as much as $50,000 to donors from Ivy League universities.

The law firms contend that the hourly rate for women is far lower than for men, especially in view of the greater danger and inconvenience that they endure.

While this inequity seems plausible, there is a case for arguing that men are underpaid. Sociologist Rene Almeling argued in the American Sociological Review in 2007 that “Men donors are paid less for a much longer time commitment and a great deal of personal inconvenience,” she said.

“They also are much less prepared for the emotional consequences of serving as a donor of reproductive material. Women, meanwhile, are not only paid more for a much shorter time commitment, they are repeatedly thanked for ‘giving the gift of life.’ From compensation rates to the smallest details of donor relations, sperm donors are less valued than egg donors,” Almeling said. “Egg donors are treated like gold, while sperm donors are perceived as a dime a dozen.”