Surprised by this - Breastfeeding Moms Seen as Less Competent

[Mommy_Mea]

I guess I can see some prejudice in the workforce, with having to pump, etc. But overall? I find this surprising...

http://www.parenting.com/blogs/show-and-tell/melanie-parentingcom/study-shows-breastfeeding-moms-viewed-less-competent?cid=cnnrss

[daisymommy]

So freakin' ridiculous :mad:. Society unknowingly contributes to these myths. Give your baby a bottle of scientifically formulated substitute milk, and you too will be seen as smart and competent and in charge of your life. Whatever.

[BayGirl2]

I don't know the methodology behind the study, but the part about perception of job applicants baffles me a bit. Why would you tell whether you are breastfeeding in an interview situation? Its personal information and not appropriate interview conversation IMO.

Personally (and I am a hiring manager who did BF and pump myself) I may have some bias against a candidate that brings up personal needs in an interview, whether about BF, a health condition, bathroom preferences, etc. Those things are protected and shouldn't be discussed pre-hire, they are to be accommodated AFTER an offer is made based on true competence.

The rest of this just seems like general bias of society. I think it does vary regionally. I remember in my post-natal yoga class in Berkeley a Mom pulled out a bottle of formula for her 2 month old and got some inquisitive looks from the other mothers, all of us were BF during the class. Dads in my area seem to be equally understanding of BFing.

[eh613c]

I clicked on the article and it did have a link to the study but I only saw an abstract. I'm wondering what type of "participants" did they get? The authors of the paper are from an academic background (Montana State University). Did they use students? Working adults? Adults with kids? Clearly the article is poorly written and doesn't provide enough details of the study to form a true opinion. It looks to me that the author of the article just read the abstract not the whole study.

In the western society, breastfeeding is frown upon especially when you have formula available. It's because of these companies and their advertisement that cause society to perceive breastfeeding in public as outrageous. What did women do before formula? Duh!

[TxCat]

The article is poorly written, but the results don't surprise me. I WOTH full-time in medicine (I'm a physician, for full disclosure), and the other women in my field or related fields with new babies all agree that our workplace can be very hostile to our need for pumping time. Disparaging remarks from supervisors or more senior physicians is typical, less so from colleagues at the same level of practice/seniority. One of the most hostile environments is the children's hospital, of all places. :rolleyes: Yes, you would think that a dedicated pediatric hospital would have more understanding and encouraging staff and physicians when it comes to an issue like breastfeeding, but unfortunately that is not the case. I know several of my colleagues who have had to give up breastfeeding early (6 weeks) solely because of working at this hospital. It's really unfortunate.