Breastfeeding Policies atWork

A new study outlines the lack of support and resources that women academics face when they return to work and need to breastfeed their babies. They encounter disgust, shame and stigma when they breastfeed because they are not provided a comfortable, quiet place where they can lactate.

Inside Higher Ed has covered a new book “Academic Motherhood.” The book details how, in one American state alone, there are 12,000 faculty members and students who are pregnant or lactating at any one time. One of the authors says:

“Women are uncomfortable asking for help. Women who have had children and have the experience can rally around them. It takes guts to talk about it.”

Breastfeeding remains a controversial topic despite the fact that most societies espouse ideals of gender equity in the workplace. In the past year alone, media rows over breastfeeding have erupted in Australia, the USA and elsewhere. This book brings to light that even in public institutions that symbolise enlightenment, the politics of breastfeeding serve to exclude working mothers.

I’ve worked in government where parental leave is more accessible (up to three months paid), but when mothers return to work, the unspoken expectation is that they do not bring their newborns with them. They might occasionally bring babies in once to show them off to co-workers, but there are no dedicated facilities for breastfeeding or childcare.

Some workplaces have creches and childcare onsite, but not enough do. It is expected that childcare will be organised by working parents. How they manage this is their business. The norm is that workplaces do not accommodate lactating mothers. Some workplaces have no parents’ bathrooms.

One of my applied sociology colleagues has returned to work part-time. She has a heavy workload. She is overseeing a project that began while she was on maternity leave that involves a large submission for Parliament, and she is managing a team of researchers. She uses her lunch breaks to breastfeed her baby. This means that her in-laws bring her baby to work, and she goes off to find somewhere to breastfeed. She uses up all her lunch on this alone, or she is otherwise faced with rushing home to breastfeed.

Supporting women in the workplace means supporting their caring responsibilities. Policies should do not discriminate against breastfeeding directly, or indirectly, by ignoring parental needs. The decision to return to work while still lactating is restricted by economic necessity, health reasons, and other factors. Making the decision to return to work should not be constrained by the way the workplace is structured, including the physical space, policies and unspoken expectations.

What is it like in your workplace? Are breastfeeding mothers supported and given a designated place to lactate? Are these policies made explicit?