Book contents
- Lactation at Work
- Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
- Lactation at Work
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter One Introduction
- Chapter Two Lactation Law as Public Policy
- Chapter Three Expressed Frustration
- Chapter Four Milk and Management
- Chapter Five Allies Already
- Chapter Six Moralizing the Law
- Chapter Seven Conclusion
- Book part
- References
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
Chapter Seven - Conclusion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 July 2021
- Lactation at Work
- Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
- Lactation at Work
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter One Introduction
- Chapter Two Lactation Law as Public Policy
- Chapter Three Expressed Frustration
- Chapter Four Milk and Management
- Chapter Five Allies Already
- Chapter Six Moralizing the Law
- Chapter Seven Conclusion
- Book part
- References
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
Summary
Unlike many studies of compliance with civil rights laws, this is a success story – at least in part. The vast majority of the organizations in this study complied with the Lactation at Work Law and created effective accommodations for their lactating employees. This success is mitigated by the amount of employee power; the presence of allies within management; whether the workplace structure includes accessible private spaces; and whether the organizational culture both embraces a norm of flexibility and acknowledges the legitimacy of the Lactation at Work Law and its accommodations. Nevertheless, workplace lactation accommodations can have the effect of reinforcing race and class inequalities: working-class and African American women are less likely to breastfeed; they more often work in jobs that are excluded from the Lactation at Work Law requirements and that provide minimal, if any, lactation accommodations; and they seldom hold enough power to demand necessary lactation accommodations. In addition, while this law successfully enables some women to combine employment and breastfeeding, it actually fails to advance workers’ rights. Moreover, ultimately, it may reinforce traditional gender roles by emphasizing working mothers’ maternal duties and weaken support for other pro–working-parent legislation, such as parental leave and on-site childcare.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Lactation at WorkExpressed Milk, Expressing Beliefs, and the Expressive Value of Law, pp. 169 - 202Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021