Working and nursing: navigating job and breastfeeding demands at work

ABSTRACT

Breastfeeding is a sex-specific, work–family issue for women. Yet, there is relatively little sociological research on the breastfeeding-work interface. What challenges do breastfeeding women face during the workday? (How) Are some more successful than others at merging breastfeeding and work? We conducted interviews with 22 US women as part of a case study of workplace breastfeeding support. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PPACA] (2010) includes breastfeeding provisions, but primarily address hourly workers. Most women in our study were not covered by the PPACA but had access to a workplace Breastfeeding Support Initiative. Despite this, women faced several challenges: different degrees of schedule control, unequal access to space, and unexpected breastfeeding demands. Women also had differential access to workplace resources to cope with demands. Control over both time and space was a cross-cutting theme. Research needs to better address work conditions that are conducive to breastfeeding rather than simply asking if work and breastfeeding are incompatible. Furthermore, workplace support initiatives will succeed only to the extent that they can directly address work conditions, even if on a temporary basis.

RÉSUMÉ

L'allaitement maternel est une question liée au sexe et au travail pour les femmes. Pourtant, il existe relativement peu de recherches sociologiques sur l'interface entre l'allaitement maternel et le travail. Quels sont les défis auxquels sont confrontées les femmes qui allaitent pendant la journée de travail? (Comment) Quelques-uns sont-ils plus efficaces que d'autres pour fusionner l'allaitement maternel et le travail? Nous avons mené des entrevues auprès de vingt-deux femmes Américaines dans le cadre d'une étude de cas sur l'allaitement au sein. La Loi sur la protection des patients et les soins abordables [PPACA] (2010) inclut les dispositions relatives à l'allaitement, mais s'adresse principalement aux travailleurs horaires. La plupart des femmes de notre étude n'étaient pas couvertes par le PPACA mais avaient accès à une initiative de soutien à l'allaitement au travail. Malgré cela, les femmes sont confrontées à plusieurs défis: différents degrés de contrôle du calendrier, accès inégal à l'espace et exigences imprévues d'allaitement. Les femmes avaient également un accès différent aux ressources en milieu de travail pour faire face aux demandes. Le contrôle du temps et de l'espace était un thème transversal. La recherche doit mieux répondre aux conditions de travail propices à l'allaitement au lieu de se demander simplement si le travail et l'allaitement sont incompatibles. De plus, les initiatives de soutien en milieu de travail ne réussiront que dans la mesure où elles permettront de traiter directement les conditions de travail, même temporairement.

KEYWORDS:

• Work–family conflict
• workplace support
• breastfeeding
• gender and work
• reproductive labor

MOTS-CLÉS:

• Conflit travail-famille
• soutien au travail
• allaitement maternel
• genre et travail
• travail reproductif

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Amy Mills, Monika Cohen, and Danielle DiPietro for their research assistance on this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Katherine M. Johnson is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tulane University. Her research addresses reproductive health issues, including gender and infertility, access to reproductive services, childbirth experiences, and transition back to work after childbirth. She is also currently conducting the Working and Nursing study to investigate breastfeeding support at work.

Colleen Salpini is a Bachelor of Science candidate in Public Health at Tulane University. Her primary interests involve the interrelationship between health and society, specifically the opportunity for improvements in the delivery and access of health services through healthcare policy.

Notes

1 The PPACA (2010) – known colloquially as “Obamacare” – is a major piece of legislation signed under the Obama Administration and aimed at reforming various aspects of the US healthcare system.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by funding from the Newcomb College Institute at Tulane University.