The cessation of breastfeeding by low-income mothers returning to work is a feminist concern. Our research advances knowledge from the Global South to extend understanding of breastfeeding at work as a form of foodwork in organizational settings. A major reason for breastfeeding cessation is the conflict between this foodwork labor and the physical labor of paid employment. In-depth interview data from 33 black low-income working mothers in South Africa were analyzed through an intersectional lens of race, gender, and social class. The findings yield both struggles and innovations in the mothers’ attempts to combine nourishing their children with paid employment. The paper explores three themes: (1) the labor of breastfeeding within contexts of low-income earning, (2) gender and social class norms shaping childcare and foodwork, and (3) local knowledge about foodwork and employment. We present recommendations for improving workplace support for low-income mothers’ breastfeeding efforts, and for advancing gender equity.

中文翻译：

---

工作场所母乳喂养作为组织环境中的食品工作：提高南非黑人低收入女性的知识


重返工作岗位的低收入母亲停止母乳喂养是女权主义者关注的问题。我们的研究增进了南半球国家的知识，以加深对工作中母乳喂养作为组织环境中食品工作形式的理解。停止母乳喂养的一个主要原因是这种食品劳动与有偿就业的体力劳动之间的冲突。通过种族、性别和社会阶层的交叉视角，对南非 33 名低收入黑人职业母亲的深入访谈数据进行了分析。这些发现既带来了母亲们在养育孩子和有偿就业方面的尝试，也带来了挣扎和创新。本文探讨了三个主题：(1) 低收入背景下的母乳喂养劳动；(2) 塑造儿童保育和食品工作的性别和社会阶层规范；(3) 关于食品工作和就业的当地知识。我们提出了改善工作场所对低收入母亲母乳喂养工作的支持以及促进性别平等的建议。