We wanted to better understand if breastfeeding moms in the workplace feel supported, so this September, we commissioned a survey conducted by third-party survey administrator, SurveyMonkey. The survey was answered by 774 expecting mothers living in the United States primarily between the ages of 18 and 40.*
The results will be surprising to some, but probably not to the moms who are living them every day.
The highlights (or lowlights) include 63% of expecting moms who think there is a stigma attached to moms who breastfeed at work, with 47% having considered a job/career change due to their need to breast pump at work.
“While we have made great strides in supporting breastfeeding moms, this survey clearly shows we have much more work to do,” said Jennifer Jordan, Director of Mom & Baby at Aeroflow Healthcare (Aeroflow Breastpumps). “It is concerning that negative connotations around breastfeeding and pumping in the workplace still exist. Simply put, this is unacceptable and we must do better.”
She continued, “We hope this study creates a groundswell of awareness and appreciation for the mothers so devoted to both their children and their careers, often at the expense of the latter. Aeroflow stands united as an organization to address these stigmas and challenges in corporate America head on by working directly with mothers, lactation consultants, and our medical partners to ensure breastfeeding tools and resources are available for those who need them most.”
The full survey results are below.
- Do you plan to breastfeed when you return to work?
- Yes-75.55%
- No-15.78%
- Not Sure-8.67%
- Do you believe your employer’s maternity plan will meet you and your family’s needs?
- Yes-73.01%
- No-26.99%
- Does your employer currently have a breastfeeding/pumping policy in place?
- Yes-48.90%
- No-32.47%
- Not sure-18.63%
- Have you discussed your breastfeeding at work plan with your supervisor and/or HR department?
- Yes, they were very supportive-54.89%
- No, I’m worried about their reaction-19.69%
- No, but plan to before I go on maternity leave-25.42%
- Does your place of employment have a designated lactation area?
- Yes, it has everything we need-46.83%
- Yes, but it is not designed for lactating moms-12.81%
- No-29.24%
- Not sure-11.13%
- Do you feel comfortable in your ability to breast pump on the job?
- Yes-70.38%
- No-29.62%
- Have you ever had a negative interaction with a co-worker because of breastfeeding/pumping?
- Yes-34.90%
- No-43.75%
- I’ve never discussed breastfeeding/pumping with a co-worker-21.35%
- Do you think there is a stigma attached to moms who breastfeed at work?
- Yes-62.61%
- No-37.39%
- Are you concerned that breastfeeding at work could impact your career growth?
- Yes-49.03%
- No-50.97%
- Has the need to breast pump at work made you consider a job/career change?
- Yes-47.09%
- No: 52.91%
*The survey included five respondents over the age of 40.
