Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Last week, a fascinating controversy erupted that is worth mulling over. According to an article in The Huffington Post, an American University professor, finding herself in a child-care jam because her baby was sick, took the baby to class, let the baby crawl around while she lectured, and then started breastfeeding when the baby got hungry. Evidently this act was hugely controversial.
Now we must admit that if there was a reasonable threat that the child was spreading disease, or if the professor was somehow unable to present the material because of the child, perhaps she should have made other arrangements. On the other hand, with regard to the latter concern, cancelling class would surely have disrupted presentation of the material more than lecturing with a fussy child. When one reviews internet comments on the incident, it becomes evident that many people have a visceral, negative reaction to what the professor did—despite the absence of any allegation that she failed to do her job adequately in teaching class that day. Apparently, many people take the view that her choice was per se unprofessional. The interesting question is, why?
Let me hazard a hypothesis: as a society, we are deeply uncomfortable with women in public. Hold on, you might say, what about feminism? What about the Nineteenth Amendment, what about civil rights law, etc.? I repeat my hypothesis, and now let me extend it: we have no problem with honorary men, i.e., pants-wearing persons with two X chromosomes, in public. What really bothers us is when a person with two X chromosomes engages in exclusively feminine activity like breastfeeding, while on the job—irrespective of whether the breastfeeding meaningfully disrupts what is going on in the workplace. In other words, we don’t like it when a woman combines traditional and modern roles.
If you are skeptical, let me offer some evidence. The two female politicians who received the most scathing criticism of late were Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Both combined traditional and modern roles—Hillary Clinton by touting her professional background as a prospective first lady, and then running for the senate after being first lady, and Sarah Palin by having a child in office. By contrast, female politicians appearing solely in their modern, professional capacity (Barbara Boxer, Michelle Bachman); or political wives whom we associate almost exclusively with a traditional role (Laura Bush, Michelle Obama), do not find themselves on the receiving end of anything close the same negative attention. Controversy also swirled around former Massachusetts Acting Governor Jane Swift when she had children in office.
My point is not to endorse either Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin (personally I am not a fan of progressive politics, on the one hand, or reality TV, on the other). Nor am I trying to editorialize on a right to breastfeed in the workplace. I just find the visceral negative reaction fascinating. It could be that there is good reason for our discomfort with the combination of traditional and modern roles on the part of women. There is nothing illegitimate about concern for the needs of children. Most of people, however, generally consider it appropriate to leave judgments about the needs of children to the children’s parents. And frankly, the ire over the professor bringing her baby to class is absurd.
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Comments:
Mar '11
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
It's unprofessional to breastfeed in full view of other people at work. It's even more unprofessional to bring your baby to work.
Aug '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
There's a grey area here, though.
Being offended by the mere sight of it in public is one thing.
However, the question was about doing it at work.
In that case, I think it depends on how we're defining "at work".
A mother feeding her child in her office, that's one thing. Doing it in the middle of a staff meeting would be something else.
If I was a student in the class, it wouldn't be the breastfeeding per se that annoyed me. I would be annoyed by the baby disrupting the class. If I paid good money to be in that class, I'd expect the professor's full attention.
Of course, since so few students actually pay for their own education, I guess they don't have a right to complain.
Apr '12
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Just yesterday I was at the pool and a young woman with an infant sat down on the bleachers next to me. Though I was absorbed with my phone at the time, I noticed she gave me a furtive glance.
When I got up to leave I took a look at her and she was breastfeeding her infant.
My thinking about some of these prudish obscenity laws is that their concepts originate with the wives of legislators. Furthermore, what assemblyman wants to go home to his wife and declare "Honey, I've just sponsored a bill to legalize breastfeeding in public."
As for women legislators, there may be a similar issue - breastfeeding mothers do tend to be a bit younger. I don't know, maybe I'm just grasping at straws here.
Dec '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Why? I think that's the whole point of the post. Is it because it's an exclusively feminine activity or not?
Jun '12
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
I am pro-Natalist. No harm. No foul. Play breast, I mean ball.
Mar '11
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Stay home with the kid and quit playing Supermom in what's supposed to be a professional setting. I'd ask for a refund of my tuition.
Edited on September 20, 2012 at 7:19pmAug '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Again, it depends on the context, and what sort of workplace we're talking about.
When I've worked in a cubicle farm environment, where workers have no privacy and sound travels easily throughout the workplace, I've HATED it when people brought their kids to work. It is disruptive.
However, in environments where people have their own office, with a door, it's less of a problem. It's still a bit of a problem though. I remember times trying to get a boss' attention with kids screaming in the background. Not fun, but he/she is the boss, so I suck it up.
During the last session of parliament up here, one of the new MPs brought her kid onto the floor of the House with her! That's supposed to be against the rules, but nobody wanted to be accused of sexism, so they keep their mouths shut.
Edited on September 20, 2012 at 7:24pmFeb '11
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
An interesting dynamic of the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millenials is a tendancy for many to see the world as revolving around us. We expect the world to bend to our wishes, not the other way round. This dynamic can have both positive results and negative ramifications.
When a topic like this comes up it's interesting to see how lines are drawn. Extremism in pushing ones personal sphere public, often accompanied by an unwillingness to accommodate the personal spheres of others is a growing dynamic in our society.
It is a freer society if people try to keep the personal, personal. Unless one lives in an extremely homgenous or totalitarian society one is going to work with a lot of people who are different. This is not an argument for relativism, it doesn't mean you hide who you are, but that you accept that others will see the world differently, even if you think they're wrong. Otherwise, we'll have more laws regulating what used to be the personal and ethical spheres. For all concerned, a little discretion and resonableness go a long way. On this topic, extremism is both for and against.
Nov '11
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Well, it would be completely relevent to the discussion and I'd say go for it.
Always keep in mind the point of the CoC. The point of the CoC is to keep things civil. Swearing and name calling, things that would degrade the discourse would violate the CoC. As much as some of us might enjoy it, a gratuitous picture of a bare breasted woman would probably be a violation. A piece of art like Liberty Leading the People, probably wouldn't be.
A woman breastfeeding I think would be kosher.
Sep '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Is that a scientific conclusion?
You really feel this way upon seeing a total stranger breastfeeding in public? I ... disagree. The difference of opinion here is a mile wide, so I'll just leave it at that.
Dec '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Fred Cole
Well, it would be completely relevent to the discussion and I'd say go for it.
Always keep in mind the point of the CoC. The point of the CoC is to keep things civil. Swearing and name calling, things that would degrade the discourse would violate the CoC. As much as some of us might enjoy it, a gratuitous picture of a bare breasted woman would probably be a violation. A piece of art like Liberty Leading the People, probably wouldn't be.
A woman breastfeeding I think would be kosher. · 1 minute ago
An argument could be made that the same reason a breastfeeding picture would be civil in conversation here could be used to argue for breastfeeding in public spaces including the workplace. One could argue against disruptions, but I think that is just as often used as a cover for simply thinking breastfeeding obscene.
Aug '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
The King Prawn
Why? I think that's the whole point of the post. Is it because it's an exclusively feminine activity or not?
No, it's because babies divert the attention of the parent away from the job they are being paid to do. If a baby requires close to 100% of a parent's attention, that attention clearly comes at the expense of the employer.
That's not to mention the amount of noise and other disruptions children cause in the workplace.
At the end of the day, my position is not to impose a blanket ban on children in the workplace, HOWEVER, employers must have the right to limit the amount of disruption the children cause. If an employee's children are causing a disruption, the employer must have the right to demand their removal.
In short, being allowed to bring a child to work is a privilege. It may even be a "good", generally-speaking. However, it is not a right.
Mar '11
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
To reiterate King Prawn's question, where is the political division on this issue? The post made it sound like a progressive vs. conservative debate, but given the comments here and my own experience I think it is much more complicated than that.
I know lots of liberals who find public breastfeeding in public acceptable, and plenty of conservatives who do as well. Not every issue can be neatly split up into left v right camps.
Aug '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Mendel:
I know lots of liberals who find public breastfeeding in public acceptable, and plenty of conservatives who do as well. Not every issue can be neatly split up into left v right camps.
Breastfeeding in public? I have no problem with that, at all.
However, the question was about breastfeeding at work. In that case, at some point there would be a limit to my patience.
I think that's where you might find a liberal/conservative divide. Even the most tolerant conservative would probably say that an employer is allowed to set some limits. A liberal, on the other hand, would go to the barricades.
Edited on September 20, 2012 at 7:47pmDec '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Misthiocracy
No, it's because babies divert the attention of the parent away from the job they are beingpaidto do. If a baby requires close to 100% of a parent's attention, that attention clearly comes at the expense of the employer.
That's not to mention the amount of noise and other disruptions children cause in the workplace.
At the end of the day, my position is not to impose a blanket ban on children in the workplace, HOWEVER, employers must have the right to limit the amount of disruption the children cause. If an employee's children are causing a disruption, the employer must have the right to demand their removal.
In short, being allowed to bring a child to work is a privilege. It may even be a "good", generally-speaking. However, it is nota right. · 8 minutes ago
The problem in this scenario seems to have been the breastfeeding of the child at work, not the presence of the child.
Jul '12
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
That depends on the breasts. Ba dum bump... Thanks folks, I'll be here all week.
Oct '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
I believe breastfeeding is important, and we need new public protocols for when and where breastfeeding is (or isn't) appropriate in public. Still, nursing a baby in front of a college class seems a step too far.
Jul '12
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
When I was in 8th grade (late 70s, south of the border), our music teacher took her child to class once or twice, and breastfed the child. No parent complained, as I remember. I don't know if the girls in the class were uncomfortable; the guys thought it was great, although later we made inappropriate jokes about the incident during recess.
We though it was somewhat odd, but no one was in the least offended.
Edited on September 20, 2012 at 7:59pmAug '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
The King Prawn
The problem in this scenario seems to have been thebreastfeedingof the child at work, not the presence of the child.
According to the article, that's the accusation the "Sex, Gender, and Culture" professor made, "in anticipation of the controversy".
In other words, she wrote her blog post before anybody complained.
According to the professor's blog post, she was upset that a student reporter merely wanted to ask her questions about it for a story in the school newspaper.
There was no controversy until this professor made it a controversy.
According to the university:
Oct '10
Re: Is It Unprofessional to Breastfeed at Work?
Why do some guys obsess over breasts so much? Males in my family tend to be attracted to motherly qualities as much as sexual ones. A lot of traditional male fantasies--like big breasts--actually turns us off, since sex goddesses strike us as failing in the mothering department.
I've always wondered if people like us are rare, or if perverted men are just louder and more obnoxious and get more of the attention. Although, this may be related to how some of us are bisexual, so I suppose maybe we are rare. Still, it's not bad to want a woman who will be a good mother.