Working moms need maternity leave…and the right to breastfeed at work
A recent Good Morning America story was heartbreaking. As Ellen Galinsky notes in the piece “The issue for women these days is that they are increasingly important financial supporters of the family,” unemployment rates and pay cuts increase monthly, and that leads to great stress, and fear of taking leave.
A mom in the ABC piece says, “The longer I’m away from work, the more I’m worried they will realize, “hey we don’t realy need her.”
At the very least, women need to be able to breastfeed AT work! From MomsRising:
Tough economic times may be making it harder for women to breastfeed? Yes! According to a recent ABC news story, one of the fall-outs from the recession is that some new mothers are feeling forced to take shorter maternity leaves due to concerns about finances and job stability.1 Unfortunately, women who have to cut their maternity leave short often can’t continue to breastfeed their infants because many workplaces don’t adequately support breastfeeding.2 That’s a big problem when you consider that 56% of women with infants are now the in the labor force–we need common-sense workplace policies to make sure that moms who want to breastfeed can.3
Act now for nursing moms by urging your Member of Congress to support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act!
Too many women are unable to breastfeed for the 6 months recommended by doctors and experts. This is often due to the fact that many workplace structures make this nearly impossible.
Voice your support for the Breastfeeding Promotion Act today!
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About Me
Morra Aarons-Mele utilizes social media strategies to help employers, employees and communities connect. She also consults with leading organizations on how women can use the internet for professional and personal development. In her spare time, Morra enjoys blogging about women and politics. Read her full bio >>
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