Over 50% of working women forced to quit over breastfeeding
- 54 percent of mothers said they had to quit their jobs for breastfeeding their baby
- Only 35 percent of new lactating mothers of India were able to resume back to jobs within 6-9 months
- There is a need for corporate preparedness in enabling working women to breastfeed
Follow50 percent of working Indian women say that their offices lack proper breastfeeding facilities to help them breastfeed at work. Â Â
A survey by Medela India, a manufacturer of breast pumps and nursing accessories in major metros. As the part of their campaign spread awareness about breast feeding during the World Breastfeeding Week, the firm surveyed between May and June and covered 3,000 respondents from  metros and tier-2 cities
The study revealed that 78 percent of those surveyed (Indian mothers) planned to exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first six months post-delivery for ensuring a robust and healthy future for the child.
Over 50 percent of the respondents felt that their offices lacked proper breastfeeding or lactation facilities to help them continue work and breastfeed. Shockingly, among these many respondents, 54 percent had to forego their career aspirations after becoming a mother as their offices lacked flexible working hours.
The survey brings to the forefront the urgent need for Indian workplaces and corporates to encourage and support new mothers to contribute to the larger cause of building a healthier tomorrow.
Emilie Moulard, Managing Director, Medela India opined that the role of corporates in enabling mothers to cover both home and work is becoming increasingly important.Â
"Initiatives such as setting up feeding rooms will not only help new mothers to take care of their infants but would also reduce the attrition rates of organizations. Lending emotional and mental support like assigning flexible work timing or work from home options, sharing the workload and free lactation support through lactation consultants will create a smooth ‘back to work’ journey for new mothers which will be beneficial not only for her but the organisation as a whole, "she said.
