Ambivalent sexism and opposition toward public breastfeeding

The study examines the impact of hostile and benevolent sexism on attitudes toward public versus private breastfeeding. According to ambivalent sexism theory, we hypothesized that hostile sexism would result in disapproval of public breastfeeding, while benevolent sexism would be linked to approval of private breastfeeding. A sample of 4,143 German adults completed questionnaires about their attitudes toward public breastfeeding, including general approval, acceptance of breastfeeding in different settings, and evaluative reactions to mothers breastfeeding in public. The results showed that the view of public breastfeeding was generally positive. Hostile sexism was consistently associated with opposition to breastfeeding, regardless of location. Contrary to expectations, benevolent sexism was negatively related to breastfeeding in private and public settings. These results emphasize the importance of addressing sexist beliefs to reduce prejudice and stigmatization of breastfeeding women.