How do Australian workplaces support breastfeeding mothers in 2025? A content analysis to develop a 'Supportive...

Few studies have described uptake and implementation of breastfeeding friendly workplace initiatives from employers' perspectives in Australia. Our aim was to describe how Australian breastfeeding friendly workplaces report supporting breastfeeding mothers in paid employment. We explored the characteristics and/or workplace profiles of Australian BFWs listed on a publicly available Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) website. Each BFW provides: a lactation space, lactation breaks and a supportive workplace culture. Based on these profiles, systematic reviews, published literature, and information on the ABA website, we created a 46-item inventory of supportive workplace factors and counted the number of factors present per profile. On 1 October 2025, we identified 138 BFWs on the ABA website, most commonly from federal government and government agencies (n = 30; 22%) and hospitals and health care service industries (18; 13%). Fifty-seven (41%) organizations published a workplace profile. Of a possible 46, the median number of supportive factors or workplace benefits was 13 (IQR: 10-17.5). Three frequently reported factors: supportive workplace culture (93%), flexible work conditions (74%), and work-life balance (70%). Workplaces demonstrated many ways to support breastfeeding mothers. Future studies should focus on better understanding employers' perspectives of providing workplace supports and whether the lived experiences of mothers returning to work match the purpose of each workplace initiative.