Can I pump here? Availability and awareness of lactation spaces at New Jersey colleges and universities

Abstract

Objective To characterize availability, website promotion, and employee awareness of lactation spaces at New Jersey colleges and universities. Participants: Twenty-eight public and private nonprofit four-year undergraduate campuses. Methods: In 2018, websites were searched and phone calls were made to Human Resources and Student Services departments at each campus. The number of lactation spaces was determined and categorized by type (dedicated, designated, and accommodated). The number of contacts needed to receive an answer was tallied and responses between sources were compared for consistency. Results: Eighty-nine percent of campuses reported offering at least one lactation space. Of the 56 lactation spaces across all campuses, 68% were dedicated. Upon calling Human Resources, it took an average of 1.83 points of contact to receive an answer, and 2.04 points of contact with Student Services. Conclusions: Campuses can offer support and raise awareness about available lactation spaces by ensuring websites and employees have accurate information.

Keywords:

• Breastfeeding
• college
• lactation room
• pumping
• university

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the respondents at each campus for answering our questions.

Conflict of interest disclosure

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.