Rodriguez-Garcia R, Frazier L
J Hum Lact. 1995 Jun;11(2):111-5. doi: 10.1177/089033449501100215.
Despite the widely acknowledged evidence supporting the benefits of breastfeeding, the prevalence and duration of breastfeeding in the United States and other Western countries remain low. To investigate this phenomenon, we conducted an analysis of the socio-cultural factors that influence women's infant-feeding decisions and examined how breastfeeding is treated in the mass media and by U.S. legislation. We found that cultural notions of the female breast as a primarily sexual object place the act of breastfeeding in a controversial light and can be one of the most influential factors in a woman's decision not to breastfeed. This notion is often supported by the media and legislation. Further research needs to focus on the relationship between sexuality and breastfeeding to help our understanding of breastfeeding behavior. This research should assist policymakers and health workers in their efforts to protect and promote breastfeeding and to increase its social acceptability.
尽管有广泛认可的证据支持母乳喂养的益处，但美国和其他西方国家的母乳喂养普及率和持续时间仍然很低。为了调查这一现象，我们分析了影响女性婴儿喂养决策的社会文化因素，并研究了大众媒体和美国立法对母乳喂养的态度。我们发现，将女性乳房主要视为性对象的文化观念使母乳喂养行为受到争议，并且可能是女性决定不进行母乳喂养的最有影响力的因素之一。这种观念常常得到媒体和立法的支持。进一步的研究需要关注性与母乳喂养之间的关系，以帮助我们理解母乳喂养行为。这项研究应有助于政策制定者和卫生工作者努力保护和促进母乳喂养，并提高其社会接受度。
