Centre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Indian Institute for Human Settlements, New Delhi, India.
BMC Public Health. 2020 Jun 5;20(1):875. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09013-9.
Worldwide, over 740 million women make their living in the informal economy and therefore lack formal employment benefits, such as maternity leave, that can improve infant feeding practices. Returning to work is one of the biggest challenges women face to maintaining breastfeeding. This study aimed to explore attitudes and perceptions towards breastfeeding in the informal work environment among male and female informal workers.
The study used a qualitative research design. Purposive and snowball sampling was employed. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among men and women working in different types of informal jobs, in India and South Africa. Data was analysed using a thematic approach and the framework method.
Between March and July 2017, 14 FGDs were conducted in South Africa and nine in India. Most women were knowledgeable about the benefits of breastfeeding and reported initiating breastfeeding. However, pressures of family responsibilities and household financial obligations frequently forced mothers to return to work soon after childbirth. Upon return to work many mothers changed their infant feeding practices, adding breastmilk substitutes like formula milk, buffalo milk, and non-nutritive fluids like Rooibos tea. Some mothers expressed breastmilk to feed the infant while working but many mothers raised concerns about expressed breastmilk becoming 'spoilt'. Breastfeeding in the workplace was challenging as the work environment was described as unsafe and unhygienic for breastfeeding. Mothers also described being unable to complete work tasks while caring for an infant. In contrast, the flexibility of informal work allowed some mothers to successfully balance competing priorities of childcare and work. Sociocultural challenges influenced breastfeeding practices. For example, men in both countries expressed mixed views about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding was perceived as beneficial for both mother and child, however it was culturally unacceptable for women to breastfeed in public. This affected working mothers' ability to breastfeed outside the home and contributed to a lack of respect for women who chose to breastfeed in the workplace.
Mothers working in the informal sector face multiple challenges to maintaining breastfeeding. Interventions are required to support feeding and childcare if global nutrition and development goals are to be met.
在全球范围内，超过 7.4 亿女性在非正规经济中谋生，因此缺乏正式就业福利，如产假，这可以改善婴儿喂养行为。返回工作岗位是女性面临的最大挑战之一，以维持母乳喂养。本研究旨在探讨非正规工作环境中男性和女性非正规工人对母乳喂养的态度和看法。
本研究采用定性研究设计。采用目的抽样和滚雪球抽样。在印度和南非，对从事不同类型非正规工作的男性和女性进行了焦点小组讨论（FGD）。使用主题方法和框架方法对数据进行分析。
2017 年 3 月至 7 月，在南非进行了 14 次 FGD，在印度进行了 9 次。大多数女性对母乳喂养的益处有一定的了解，并报告开始母乳喂养。然而，家庭责任和家庭经济义务的压力经常迫使母亲在分娩后很快返回工作岗位。返回工作后，许多母亲改变了婴儿的喂养方式，添加了母乳代用品，如配方奶、水牛奶和非营养性液体，如路易波士茶。一些母亲在工作时挤出母乳喂养婴儿，但许多母亲担心挤出的母乳会“变质”。在工作场所母乳喂养具有挑战性，因为工作环境被描述为不安全和不卫生，不适合母乳喂养。母亲们还描述了在照顾婴儿的同时无法完成工作任务。相比之下，非正规工作的灵活性使一些母亲能够成功地平衡育儿和工作的竞争优先级。社会文化挑战影响母乳喂养行为。例如，两国的男性对母乳喂养表达了不同的看法。母乳喂养被认为对母亲和孩子都有益，但在文化上，女性在公共场合母乳喂养是不可接受的。这影响了在职母亲在户外母乳喂养的能力，并导致对选择在工作场所母乳喂养的女性缺乏尊重。
在非正规部门工作的母亲在维持母乳喂养方面面临多重挑战。如果要实现全球营养和发展目标，就需要采取干预措施来支持喂养和育儿。
