Attitudes of employees working in public places toward breastfeeding

Abstract

Background: The benefits of breastfeeding are well documented but the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. Perceptions of social disapproval of breastfeeding in public is one of the main reasons ( Acker, 2009 ; Dyson et al, 2010 ) why women may choose to bottle feed instead of breastfeeding, or why they may cease breastfeeding early. To better understand the social attitudes toward breastfeeding in public that women may face, the aim of this study is to explore these attitudes and opinions among employees working in public places. Methods: Nine semi-structured interviews were carried out with employees from public places with and without baby-friendly facilities or a breastfeeding policy. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed qualitatively by sorting and coding data into common themes. Findings: Breastfeeding is viewed as good and natural; however, public breastfeeding still makes some people feel uncomfortable, particularly younger and childless people. Most employees were supportive of women breastfeeding on their premises and their opinions seem unrelated to the facilities offered. Most employees thought breastfeeding facilities should be more widely available but that women should be able to choose whether to use these facilities or not. Breastfeeding education may help to normalize breastfeeding in society and make women feel more comfortable about breastfeeding in public. Conclusions: Most people view public breastfeeding positively; however, there is still a perception that breastfeeding women may feel uncomfortable breastfeeding in public, and private facilities may help to alleviate their anxieties.

Opinions Toward Breastfeeding in Public and Appropriate Duration

“…13 On the other hand, international studies in Australia and England that did not include the US population found the majority of restaurant and shop managers, regardless of gender, were comfortable with women breastfeeding in their businesses. 14,15 Although we did not find significant differences in comfort levels of breastfeeding in public by other demographic characteristics, there is a suggestion that those with at least a bachelor's degree and urban residents were more likely to report higher comfort levels. The 2001 and 2003 Healthstyles Surveys also found higher education attainment was associated with greater comfort, but results were not as clear for residential settings.…”

“…13 On the other hand, international studies in Australia and England that did not include the US population found the majority of restaurant and shop managers, regardless of gender, were comfortable with women breastfeeding in their businesses. 14,15…”

Perceptions of Public Breastfeeding Images and Their Association With Breastfeeding Knowledge and Attitudes Among an Internet Panel of Men Ages 21–44 in the United States

“…Most research on public breastfeeding has involved researchers asking respondents to answer written or verbal questions about a woman’s right to breastfeed and/or their feelings about breastfeeding in specific public situations (Marsden & Abayomi, 2012; Meng, Daly, Pollard, & Binns, 2013; Mulready-Ward & Hackett, 2014; Scott et al, 2015). A 2009 study found that attitudes toward visual images of private breastfeeding were far more positive than attitudes toward images of public breastfeeding.…”

Place of sanctuary: an appreciative inquiry approach to discovering how communities support breastfeeding and parenting

“…The remaining managers would either discourage breastfeeding anywhere in their facility, suggest a mother move to a more secluded area if she wished to breastfeed, or were unsure how they would react [54]. More recently in the UK, Marsden and Abayomi examined a small group of employees’ attitudes and opinions toward women breastfeeding in public [55]. All were employees of a shop, restaurant or cafe and job roles varied from managers to general team members.…”

“…They indicated they would protect the rights of women who wished to breastfeed in their establishments should they be challenged by members of the public. However, across two decades these studies demonstrate that the pressure remains with women to manage breastfeeding in public in a discrete and acceptable way, and the perception that breastfeeding women feel uncomfortable breastfeeding in public and require private facilities for breastfeeding to alleviate their anxieties remains [55].…”