The role of workplace characteristics in breastfeeding practices

The present analyses were undertaken to understand the role of workplace characteristics in the breastfeeding practices of working women. The effects of the perception of the availability of employer-sponsored child care, the perception of the availability of a flexible schedule, hours worked at home, and worked a fixed schedule on breastfeeding outcomes were estimated using a sample of 1,506 births from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979. The availability of employer-sponsored child care increased the likelihood of breastfeeding six months after birth by 47 percent. In addition, working an additional eight hours at home per week, at the mean, increased the probability of breastfeeding initiation by 8 percent and breastfeeding six months after birth by 16.8 percent. Workplace characteristics show promise as an effective way to increase breastfeeding rates among working women.