Breastfeeding moms face challenges at work despite increased support
Legislation like the PUMP Act requires employers to provide break time and dedicated space for lactation.
The majority of breastfeeding moms feel supported at work, with more than 75% of respondents to a recent Mamava and Medela survey indicating they feel fully or somewhat supported. However, with one-quarter of respondents feeling neutral or not supported, employers have an opportunity to do more to support working moms who are breastfeeding, said the study.
The logistics of pumping at work is one of the main challenges breastfeeding moms face. Fifty-two percent of parents identified finding places to pump or nurse on the go as their top breastfeeding challenge, closely followed by 47% citing insufficient time for nursing/pumping breaks.
Two thirds-of respondents said they have a dedicated workplace lactation space to pump while at work, while 17% indicated they sometimes have a dedicated space to pump. Sixty-two percent of those who have a dedicated lactation space described it as good or great. While this represents a 2.8% improvement from last year’s survey, 31% of breastfeeding moms said their space is adequate and nearly 10% said it was poor or terrible.
Thirty-percent of respondents said they pump in their work office and 27% said they use conference rooms or borrowed offices. Other places moms have pumped away from home include in the car (65%), in the bathroom (28%) and in a dressing room (16%).
More than half of survey respondents indicated they are aware of legislation, specifically the PUMP Act, which requires employers to support breastfeeding employees with breaktime and a non-bathroom lactation space.
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“Our survey results expose the reality that our society must do more to provide breastfeeding parents with the essential support and infrastructure they need,” said Sascha Mayer, Mamava co-founder and CEO. “Despite federal protections established by the PUMP Act, even the most committed breastfeeding parents face significant barriers. It’s clear we need to create more supportive workplaces and public spaces to ensure that every breastfeeding parent has the opportunity to feed their children in a private, dignified and comfortable environment.”
The results of the annual State of Breastfeeding Survey, which included responses from neary 7,000 parents, were released in time for National Breastfeeding Month in August. The majority of survey respondents are currently in the workforce, with 63% working full-time and 18% working part-time.