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Chapter Seven - Conclusion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2021

Elizabeth A. Hoffmann
Affiliation:
Purdue University, Indiana
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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 Work
Expressed Milk, Expressing Beliefs, and the Expressive Value of Law
, pp. 169 - 202
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Conclusion
  • Elizabeth A. Hoffmann, Purdue University, Indiana
  • Book: Lactation at Work
  • Online publication: 20 July 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108770828.007
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  • Conclusion
  • Elizabeth A. Hoffmann, Purdue University, Indiana
  • Book: Lactation at Work
  • Online publication: 20 July 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108770828.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • Elizabeth A. Hoffmann, Purdue University, Indiana
  • Book: Lactation at Work
  • Online publication: 20 July 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108770828.007
Available formats
×