We won’t get real equality until we price breastmilk, and treat breastfeeding as work

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 19:49:59 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/we-wont-get-real-equality-until-we-price-breastmilk-and-treat-breastfeeding-as-work-216623>

"The Australian Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce delivered a major report
last month drawing attention to what it called the “motherhood penalty” – the
55% cut in earnings for Australian women in the first five years after having a
child.

The report makes many good recommendations, including extending paid parental
leave to 52 weeks and providing universal high-quality affordable early
childhood education.

Yet it mentions “birth” only twice, and “breastfeeding” not at all.

Shying away from the reality that women breastfeed is in some ways
unsurprising. Breastfeeding is divisive because it cuts across what some see as
the most important goal for women’s empowerment – gender equity in unpaid work
and the care of children, including infants."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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