A Comparative Study of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices of Employed Mothers in Accra Metropolis and Wa Municipality of Ghana

Abstract

Maternal employment has been widely cited as one of the major barriers to exclusive breastfeeding. The present study examined how maternal employment in the formal sector is associated with the maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding among women with diverse employment characteristics in Accra Metropolis and Wa Municipality of Ghana. Socialist feminism and symbolic interactionist perspectives served as theoretical guides for the study. Data for the study was obtained from 32 interviews and 721 surveys with employed mothers who had infants not older than six months selected from the study areas. The findings showed that, type of mothers' employment, mothers' marital status and infants' age were significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding practices. Exclusive breastfeeding was also high among part-time workers and private sector workers. Unlike the case of Wa Municipality, employment was found to be significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding in Accra Metropolis. Lack of breastfeeding-friendly facilities at the workplace posed as a challenge for most of the mothers in this study. Mothers who were breastfeeding exclusively in both study areas were able to do so because they had family and workplace support. It is therefore recommended that employers provide breastfeeding-friendly facilities at the workplace to facilitate breastfeeding. In addition, the family, coworkers and supervisors should support breastfeeding mothers. Lastly, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations should extend the duration of the maternity leave for successful and less stressful exclusive breast feeding by employed mothers who are breast feeding.