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Prominent British Women Against Government’s New Breastfeeding Initiative
Some British women are against this happening at work.
Great Britain has one of the lowest rates of breast feeding in all of Europe. Just two-thirds of new moms attempt to nurse their infants. British government seems eager to change that. It wants businesses to become “new mother friendly” by providing private areas where employees could breastfeed a child—areas maybe even equipped with refrigerators to store breast milk.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley points out that breast feeding is one of the simplest ways to insure that Great Britain’s future workforce is a healthy one. And though the initiatives would seem to be a no-brainer, they are facing staunch opposition. Surprisingly, two prominent British women are among those against it.
Tracy Clark-Flory wrote a piece earlier today on Salon which took a closer look at the situation. She points out that the government’s attempt to support working moms has drawn outrage from some. Former British Conservative Party politician Ann Widdecombe told the BBC that the new proposals are enough to make her “absolutely weep.” She laments the fact that the state is suggesting that employers provide special facilities and “goodness knows what else” for breastfeeding women during a time of recession. By doing so, she claims, the government is trying to “micro-manage our lives.”
Economist Ruth Lea is also against the initiatives, warning that women could be the ultimate victims. She tells the Daily Mail the following: ”Inevitably this will lead to extra costs on business, and make it harder and harder for them when they are expected to be creating new jobs. If you are an employer and you are looking for a new recruit and you have a young man and a young woman, what would you do?”
Maybe I’m missing something, here. But if I am, then I’m in good company. Because Tracy Clark Flory is missing it, too. Both Widdecombe and Lea act as if the government is demanding that each employer expand their existing workspace to include a breast-feeding wing, complete with state-of-the-art climate control and other amenities which foster an ideal lactating environment. But all the government’s really doing is suggesting that employers partition off a tiny part of an existing room to afford new moms some privacy, or perhaps convert that ninth-floor conference room that’s always unoccupied into a place where such women could breastfeed.
But what about the refrigerator? They aren’t free, right?
Well, I’ve got an extra refrigerator I’d be happy to donate to my company (if I worked for one). It’s just sitting in our garage right now. I bet a lot of other people do, too. Maybe each company could see if some benevolent employee would donate his or hers. If not, I believe you can get one from Goodwill for like 50 bucks. OR, get this, a cooler just might work. After all, my red one does manage to keep my beers ice-cold.
I, for one, would like nothing more than to see a working environment that makes it easier for new moms to breastfeed in our country. What about you? Do you think the cost associated with such an initiative would cripple businesses? Are you shocked that two of the vocal opponents to such a scenario in Britain are women?
Photo: stock.xchng
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[...] Teen Abstinence Having Sex in a Post-Baby World Does This Onesie Make My Baby’s Butt Look Big? Prominent British Women Against Government’s New Breastfeeding Initiative Working Parents Feel 11 Years Older Than Parents Who Stay at Home I Won’t Let My Kids Pee In [...]
Student Sues School District for Turning Blind Eye to Bullying commented on Dec 09 10 at 11:59 amjensunnyside commented on Nov 29 10 at 5:29 pmI’m not sure how many mums this type of policy would actually effect since every mum I know took at least 6months maternity leave, and most took 10-12months. It seems to me that this policy is putting the cart before the horse since most UK mums either never bother to try to bf, or give up within the first 3months.
TheFeministBreeder commented on Nov 29 10 at 6:30 pmWell, our own Department of Health put a lot of money into discovering that supporting lactating employees is actually really good for business. In fact, anyone who is interested can find an unbelievable wealth of information on the topic right here on the US Dept Health’s own website dedicated to the Business Case for Breastfeeding: http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/government-programs/business-case-for-breastfeeding/
I don’t see how it can be so very beneficial for businesses here, and bad for them in the UK. We’re talking about progress… progress which even many women don’t want to see happen. Let us never forget that there were legions of women against suffrage. When somebody can explain that, they’ll explain why some women don’t want women to have an easier time going back to work while using the nature-given method of infant feeding.
John Cave Osborne commented on Nov 29 10 at 7:26 pm@TheFeministBreeder — nice comment. I would just assume that this is a no-brainer. Good for the baby, good for the mom, good for the company, good for the workforce, good for the future, good for the country.
Penny commented on Nov 29 10 at 7:58 pmOn one hand just because it works in the U.S. does NOT necessarily mean it will work for them. However, when I hit so many road blocks with paying for day care, and saw so many women getting tired of pumping and quitting, and hit so many other road blocks I decided that I needed to give up on the workforce, cut back on silly little luxuries, and be a stay at home mom. I think it’s the best thing for my children’s well being. I am also seeing a large wave of women starting their own businesses that allow them to work from home or take their children to work with them. I really think that this wave will be far better for everyone than the traditional 8-5, pumping milk mother role.
KaraDudley DailyMomtra commented on Nov 29 10 at 8:50 pmBravo, John! Couldn’t agree more! We seem to be experiencing the same kind of breastfeeding backlash here in the U.S. now that some Dems are trying to make breast pumps something you can buy with your flex spending account. I wish people would understand what an impact it would make on the economy if MORE women breastfed! Not to mention all the lives that could be saved in our country! Check out this story. Puts it in to perspective. 900 lives and 13 BILLION dollars saved a year if 90% of women breastfed for a mere 6 months! We’ve got to make that goal attainable for working moms!
Nicky's mom commented on Nov 29 10 at 9:05 pmWell said, FeministBreeder. Breastfeeding is just plain good for moms, babies and public health.
AnnieM commented on Nov 29 10 at 10:59 pmComments
You really don’t even need the frig! Ameda Egnell (one of the leading manufacturers of breast pumps) have studies that show you can leave *freshly expressed* breast milk at room temp for up to 10 hrs (68 to 72 degrees) without any bacterial growth.
Josey commented on Nov 29 10 at 11:39 pmIt’s nice that all you had to do was “cut back on silly little luxuries” in order to stay home. Some of us need to work or our children will be homeless. We too deserve a place to pump our breastmilk. Not everyone has the luxury of making the choice you did, and boy is it tiresome to read that this is “far better for everyone.” No, it’s not better if I don’t have health care, which my job provides for my entire family, and my pension, and all the other things we need to survive. Opting out of the mainstream workforce is NOT going to get women equality or respect. Demanding that not be treated like pariahs by our employers and other women is a much better course of action. Having a mom with a healthier baby who is sick less often is in the best interest of employers, if they could see past their short-sighted need to save some pocket change.
michelle commented on Nov 30 10 at 4:05 amI would like to see it easier for mums to stay home for longer with their babies – many mothers still only have the statuatory minimum – and struggle to stay off work for more than 2-3 months, but initiatives which help to remove the barriers for breastfeeding should be encouraged. I returned to work when my first baby was 6 months old and I expressed milk regularly. It didnt really cost my employer anything! A small portable fridge and some sealable cash bags to keep the milk safe – so it didnt cost very much and didnt lose my employer much time. Other employees have breaks on various other grounds, so it was not an issue.
jensunnyside commented on Nov 30 10 at 7:30 amThe US and the UK may share a language, but they are two different countries. I’m not saying supporting working mums is a bad thing, what I am saying is that the UK government needs to start with the most basic question, why aren’t UK mums even trying to BF in the first place? You have to appreciate that in the UK women actually get paid maternity leave (gasp!), so many women take advantage and stay home as long as they can. So, work really isn’t as big a factor when choosing to bf like it is in the US.
Olivia commented on Nov 30 10 at 7:49 amActually context is all and much of the criticism in the UK around this initiative takes that into account. You have to see this initiative in light of the 12 months’ statutory maternity leave that British women have at the moment and the fact that this is one of a number of recent government proposals that seem to be actually attacking and undermining motherhood, or parenthood, in general and to be making it actually harder and harder for women to be with their babies and young children after birth, partly by creating a climate where it is seen as unacceptable to do so. Other choice policy initiatives include the cuts to child benefit for certain joint income earners and announcements that women with children over 1 will be expected to come to job centres to discuss their career plans. I therefore question whether the initiative is actually women and breast-feeding friendly, or whether it is really about the start of a slide against women’s rights in the UK, with women pressurised, emotionally, economically and politically, to return to work earlier than they might otherwise wish to do, and made to feel guilty if they want to stay at home with their children. I am a staunch feminist btw but do not interpret feminism as imposing one sole alternative uniform model of women as economic producers. I can see employers using this initiative to try to pressurise women to return to work after 6 or 12 weeks, as they often do in the US, on the grounds that there is “no need” to stay at home with them. We seem to have come to a place in the UK where we are completely devaluing motherhood, actually make that parenthood, and eroding choice. Two well known (and attachment parenting-friendly) psychologists, Oliver James and Steve Biddulph, were recently absolutely excoriated as “anti-women” (by a lot of people, women included, who had not actually read what they had to say) when they published books (“How not to F*** them up” and “Should the under-3s go to nursery?”) suggesting (among other things) that under 3-s do best with one stable caregiver, preferably mum, but if not another loving, present and responsive adult. We seem to think it is fine to leave our children from a young age for extended periods in over-populated, under-staffed nurseries but not to have them with us, and to deem it acceptable to farm out our children to nursery workers, but not to raise them ourselves. The argument that it is good for our children and good for society to allow mothers, or fathers, to actually spend extended periods of time with them, and to be supported in doing so (should they wish to do so of course), needs to be made, and strongly too. The current economic recession is, in my view, having a devastating impact on families.
PJ Mullen commented on Nov 30 10 at 12:03 pmMy wife went back to work after both of our kids were about 2.5 months old. We are very fortunate that she works in a hospital that provides excellent facilities for nursing mothers. They make top notch pumps and refrigeration available in a private area. My wife gets to utilize these rooms twice a day to do her thing and ensure that I have a sufficient milk supply so I can feed our daughter when I am home with her during the day. I firmly believe more businesses should be like this whether here or in the UK.
Vicki commented on Nov 30 10 at 2:45 pmI think it is a great step in the right direction. Moms shouldn’t have to choose between breastfeeding and working.
There are many women who believe breastfeeding is against women’s rights. That breastfeeding encourages the notion that if women are making the milk that babies need to survive; then we have to stay at home and nurse those babies.
Martha Wardrop, RN, IBCLC commented on Nov 30 10 at 8:27 pmIt never ceases to amaze me how some women have no idea of the natural functions of the female body. Lactation is an extension of gestation and always has been, and women think they are “choosing” not to breastfeed because they haven’t gotten enough information. They think it will hurt, or tie them down, or other such excuses. It is every humans right to be breast feed for at least 1 yr by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and for 2 or more years by WHO. If you make a small safe place, they will use it, and why are these women not aware of what the rest of the world already knows- that babies will be healthier adults in the future- so a penny saved is a pound earned!
Rosana commented on Dec 01 10 at 9:10 amI think it is unfair to put that pricy mandate on businesses during any economy. Breastfeeding is a decision that requires a lot of commitment and it starts with the mother. If the mom does not have a true commitment (unless there is a physical problem) breastfeeding will not last long for that baby. Therefore, why put the burden on businesses to spend money adding special facilities for breastfeeding moms if they don’t know how long will that mom or moms stick to breastfeeding. It is not the same for a mom to spend $300 on a breastpump and quit feeding the baby breastmilk after 3 months than a company spending $5000 to accomodate that mom’s decision and then she will quit at 3 months.
If moms really want to pump at work, they will find the way to do it. I pump in the bathroom at work, I just make sure I sanitize the area and wash my hand very good before I pump. The company already has a kitchen, so I store my baby’s milk in their refrigerator but if there was none, I would have bought one of those little ones for my personal use.
My point is, breastfeeding is a personal choice and businesses should not have to foot the whole bill to accomodate it if is not certain that they will have any ROI any time soon.
Frank OHara commented on Dec 01 10 at 7:36 pmI have the dubious honor of formerly being the General Manager of a small company so I have some experience here
I will also preface this with: “I fully support breastfeeding babies.”
Now, a little background: When I took over this company, it has twice closed it’s doors and to put it mildly, the company mostly existed in name only. The challenge for me was to make the company grow and show a profit. To say the least. that growth and those profits had been non-existant.
We only had a front office with two desks, one restroom for everybody and only 1,800 s/ft. of manufacturing space (tiny).
Many weeks I had to go out and collect invoices just to make payroll. Without that action, my employees would not have gotten a pay check that week.
We also had no money. Thankfully, our suppliers gave us credit to buy raw materials to make our product or the doors would have closed again.
There simply was no space to build a “nursing room.” There was no money to construct or furnish it either. If it had been a requirement that we provide this facility, we would have had two choices, either close the doors putting everybody out of work or carefully select women employees that were not in the child bearing years. There would be no other choices.
As it turned out, none of our employees gave birth and none had infants. That was not by selection, just happenstance. We did have several that were unmarried and were in their early 20′s so it could have happened.
As it is, the company did survive and is still in business now some 20 years later. It could have been much different and many people would be out of work.
.
Catherine commented on Dec 22 10 at 6:43 amI’ve been fairly lucky and I’ve managed to have 7 months off with maternity leave and annual leave. The company I’ve been seconded to have no problem with me finding a room to express at work. Now we’re weaning our daughter it’s been easier to start her on formula and gradually give up the breast feeding.
Okay, there are extenuating (sp?) circumstances, I’m the only wage earner, I work part time and her Dad stays at home to look after her. We’re getting married in March and I dont’ want to have to try and breast feed in my wedding dress, plus we want to be able to go away for a few days, and I haven’t got the time or the energy to express enough to store for then on top of everything else. And (albeit rather selfishly) I want my body back! I miss nice underwear!
Plus, I work in counselling, when I express I end up smelling of baby milk, no matter how careful I am. Despite breast pads I can leak and no matter how good my personal hygene, there can be this odour similar to mini-cheddars! I do not want to be talking to someone in a theraputic environment where I’ve got milk marks on my top or spillage from the expressing or smell like cheese, it’s not exactly helpful!
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