Are Breastfeeding Women Less Likely to Be Hired?
By Erin Whitehead, www.FitBottomedMamas.com
In my opinion, all moms are super-moms. They have eyes in the backs of their heads, they can multitask with the best of them, and they can dry up tears with their presence alone. And while breastfeeding isn't always easy-peasy for moms, its benefits never cease to amaze me-especially in the long-term.
For example, this recent study shows that adolescents who were breastfed as infants had stronger leg muscles than non-breastfed babes. And the longer the breastfeeding, the stronger the muscles. And its effects on the brain? Apparently even four weeks of breastfeeding can have lasting effects on brain development. Not to mention that breastfeeding helps cancer survivors offset some of the negative effects of their treatments. I know that not everyone can and chooses to breastfeed, but there's no doubt that the benefits go on and on.
With all of the crazy benefits of the boob, it strikes me as so funny that, according to this study, breastfeeding moms were rated as less competent and less likely to be hired than other groups. While I may feel frazzled and incompetent on occasion, I always attributed it to the lack of sleep-not the breastfeeding. I'd love to know what other groups were compared. I can definitely see how new moms in general, and breastfeeding moms in particular, could be seen as more…distracted, maybe…than their counterparts, especially in the early months. But overall incompetence? As if!
What do you think about this research?
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