This article is part of a series on Breastfeeding and feminism: Reproductive health, rights and justice, edited by Dr Miriam H Labbok, Dr Paige Hall Smith, and Ms Emily C Taylor.

Debate

New breast milk in old bottles

Barbara Katz Rothman

Department of Sociology, Baruch College, City University of New York, USA

author email corresponding author email

International Breastfeeding Journal 2008, 3:9doi:10.1186/1746-4358-3-9

Published:	4 August 2008

Abstract

This paper identifies how the different ideologies of patriarchy, technology, capitalism, race and feminism shape how we see breastfeeding and the breastfeeding mother with child. Ultimately, while we can make good strong arguments for breastfeeding from the perspective of health, of outcome, of good scientific data, we need to appreciate that they are only rationalizations for a shared belief that the image of the breastfeeding woman with baby represents something precious and valuable. So while it may be important to make arguments that draw on what is valued in society, we need to think hard about what it is that we value so that as we move forward with our efforts to make breastfeeding safe, we can use but not be used by, the various ideologies or claims.