Black mothers in the US find it more challenging to breastfeed their kids due to workplace patterns, healthcare and stigma
Breastfeeding her infant is the subject of a fundamental right — both for a mother and the child — but even that right is under stress, especially for black women. In what comes as a shocking revelation to the reproductive justice movement, even though the right exists on paper, there is a lack of a conducive environment for black women.
A new study undertaken by the government has dug out the fact that black women breastfeed their babies at a lower rate compared to their white counterparts and the reason for this gross social disparity is more than just what meets the eye.
16% disparity between white & black moms
Last month, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came up with observations over the alarming gap. The researchers took data from the National Immunization Survey — Child, to understand how many women who became mothers in 2015 started breastfeeding their babies.
It was found, according to the CDC, that 83 percent of mothers in the US breastfed their infants after birth. While the overall figure looked impressive, breaking it down further brought out the real picture. It was seen that while 85 percent of white mothers breastfed, it was only 69 percent when it came to black mothers.
Black moms also have the shortest duration of breastfeeding, with less than 45 percent doing so at six months compared to 62 percent of white women. Again, a 17 percent gap there. In contrast, breastfeeding initiation has inched ahead from 38 to 41 percent globally, according to experts at the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to Kimberly Seals Allers, a maternal and infant health strategist, the gap only becomes bigger with the child's growth. She also stressed in her book 'The Big Letdown' that factors like race, culture, history, and class not just hurts the process of breastfeeding by black mothers but also the future health of the kids. For her, it is all about "racism and bias" at the end of the day.
Job place, healthcare, and society
There are enough reasons that ensure the injustice continues and among them are employment, the healthcare system and society as a whole. The dilemma for black women is that they make up a large part of the workforce and that inversely affects their breastfeeding duration.
According to a report in the Center for American Progress (CAP), the number of black women becoming sole breadwinners for their families has gone steadily up in recent times and the figure currently stands at 70.7 percent while the percentage of black women as co-breadwinners is around 14.7 percent. This leads to the conclusion that a large number of black mothers report to work shortly after giving birth because of economic reasons.
The CAP further reported that black people are less fortunate in enjoying flexibility, economic stability and better benefits like paid family leaves at work compared to the whites. This naturally leaves an impact on the duration of breastfeeding.
Law assists black mothers only on papers
Even the law is not effective enough. According to a report in the American Civil Liberties Union, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act asks employers to provide break time and privacy to lactating mothers but it is not complied with often, especially in low-wage jobs. Mothers also fear about being assertive over the due facility for that could lead to more harassment and even loss of jobs.
Lack of enough community hospitals that provide breastfeeding facilities have also not helped the cause. They also introduce formula from the very beginning because of low breastfeeding rates and that also harms the more natural process of breastfeeding.
Sexualization of breasts and seeing breastfeeding in public as something inappropriate are other reasons that impede justice. Stereotyping black women as sexually degrading also affects their health and rights (in the past, the practice of using black women as wet nurses for white women deprived them of the right to feed their own children).
The US isn't doing well in breastfeeding initiation
The US is reported to be among those industrialized nations with the lowest breastfeeding initiation. It doesn't have laws making paid parental leave mandatory, either. Last year, the Donald Trump administration faced criticism after rejecting a policy that backed breastfeeding at the WHO because an infant formula industry put it under pressure.
Today, the injustice that black mothers face while carrying out the basic responsibility of breastfeeding their infants has drawn wide attention. The advent of social media has also made the battle more prominent with brave women coming forward to post pictures of them breastfeeding.
This helps in removing the stigma and empower the women in many ways. However, a lot has to be done still.