Legally Public but Privately Practiced: Segregating the Lactating Body

Abstract

Contemporary discourses position the “ideal mother” as a breastfeeding one; however, most mothers are faced with an economic imperative to return to work shortly after delivery, complicating their ability to continue breastfeeding. Some organizations have begun to provide lactation rooms for breastfeeding employees. Adopting a Foucauldian lens, I explore the ways in which a lactation room functions as what Foucault might have termed a heterotopian space, blurring the boundaries of public and private spheres. I combine rhetorical analysis of a lactation room, journal entries, media coverage, and my own experiences to answer recent appeals from scholars to address the role of space in communication research. I argue that the well-intended vision of the lactation room may be appreciated by some, but the composition of the room (e.g., single-occupancy design, discreet location) undercuts its necessity.

Notes

¹All names have been altered to protect anonymity.