Child rearing workplace policy for working mothers
A scoping review
Abstract
Introduction: Straddling work and childcare harms working moms' health, potentially their children too. To address this, child rearing workplace policies are needed. These would promote work-life balance and ensure both mothers' and children's well-being, ultimately protecting pregnant and parenting women at work. Objective: This study aims to explore the gaps between available child rearing workplace policy for working mothers and the implementation on the field while taking its implications into account. Methods: We reviewed literature from PubMed electronic database. Predefined keywords were developed and chosen. Relevant articles were filtered according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Furthermore, all articles were reviewed independently and those that match were included and charted through Microsoft Excel based on each articles’ characteristics. Results: There are 13 workplace policies related to childcare for working mothers in the included articles. The most common policy was paid maternity leave. Other frequently mentioned policies included lactation support and facilities, flexible work arrangements, and daycare facilities. All policies have different implementation rates and implications to both working mothers and their children. Conclusion: Supportive child rearing policies at work benefit everyone: employers, employees, and their families, leading to a better nutritional and health status, hence increase overall quality of life.Downloads
References
Jakaria M, Bakshi RK, Hasan MM. Is maternal employment detrimental to children’s nutritional status? Evidence from Bangladesh. Rev Dev Econ. 2022 Feb 1;26(1):85–111.
Win H, Shafique S, Mizan S, Wallenborn J, Probst-Hensch N, Fink G. Association between mother’s work status and child stunting in urban slums: a cross-sectional assessment of 346 child-mother dyads in Dhaka, Bangladesh (2020). Archives of Public Health. 2022 Dec 1;80(1).
Aronsson AE, Vidaurre-Teixidó P, Jensen MR, Solhaug S, McNamara C. The health consequences of informal employment among female workers and their children: a systematic review. Global Health. 2023 Aug 17;19(1):59.
Schafer EJ, Livingston TA, Roig-Romero RM, Wachira M, Louis-Jacques AF, Marhefka SL. “Breast is best, but…” According to childcare administrators, not best for the childcare environment. Breastfeeding Medicine. 2021 Jan 1;16(1):21–8.
UN General Assembly. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In United Nations; 1979.
International Labour Organization. Convention no. 183 convention concerning the revision of the maternity protection convention (revised), 1952. Geneva: International Labour Organization; 2000.
UNICEF. Family-friendly policies redesigning the workplace of the future: a policy brief. New York; 2019.
Luthuli S, Haskins L, Mapumulo S, Rollins N, Horwood C. ‘I decided to go back to work so I can afford to buy her formula’: a longitudinal mixed-methods study to explore how women in informal work balance the competing demands of infant feeding and working to provide for their family. BMC Public Health. 2020 Dec 2;20(1):1847.
Li ZD, Zhang B. Family-friendly policy evolution: a bibliometric study. Humanit Soc Sci Commun. 2023 Dec 1;10(1).
Ziolkowski N, Rogowsky L, Innis J, Grant Buechner A, Springall E, Dengler J. Creation of a nationwide breastfeeding policy for surgical residents: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open. 2022 Jun 13;12(6):e047466.
Ossom Williamson P, Minter CIJ. Exploring PubMed as a reliable resource for scholarly communications services. J Med Libr Assoc. 2019 Jan;107(1):16–29.
Guendelman S, Goodman J, Kharrazi M, Lahiff M. Work–family balance after childbirth: the association between employer-offered leave characteristics and maternity leave duration. Matern Child Health J. 2014 Jan 1;18(1):200–8.
Shepherd-Banigan M, Bell JF. Paid leave benefits among a national sample of working mothers with infants in the United States. Matern Child Health J. 2014 Jan;18(1):286–95.
Herbst CM, Tekin E. Child care subsidies, maternal health, and child-parent interactions: evidence from three nationally representative datasets. Health Econ. 2014 Aug;23(8):894–916.
Tsai SY. Employee perception of breastfeeding-friendly support and benefits of breastfeeding as a predictor of intention to use breast-pumping breaks after returning to work among employed mothers. Breastfeeding Medicine. 2014 Jan;9(1):16–23.
Smith-Gagen J, Hollen R, Tashiro S, Cook DM, Yang W. The association of state law to breastfeeding practices in the US. Matern Child Health J. 2014 Nov 19;18(9):2034–43.
Aikawa T, Pavadhgul P, Chongsuwat R, Sawasdivorn S, Boonshuyar C. Maternal return to paid work and breastfeeding practices in Bangkok, Thailand. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2015 Mar 18;27(2):NP1253–62.
Bai YK, Gaits SI, Wunderlich SM. Workplace lactation support by New Jersey employers following US reasonable break time for nursing mothers law. Journal of Human Lactation. 2015 Feb 17;31(1):76–80.
Atabay E, Moreno G, Nandi A, Kranz G, Vincent I, Assi TM, et al. Facilitating working mothers’ ability to breastfeed: global trends in guaranteeing breastfeeding breaks at work, 1995-2014. J Hum Lact. 2015 Feb;31(1):81–8.
Iellamo A, Sobel H, Engelhardt K. Working mothers of the world health organization western pacific offices. Journal of Human Lactation. 2015 Feb 14;31(1):36–9.
Kumar V, Arora G, Midha IK, Gupta YP. Infant and young child feeding behaviors among working mothers in India: implications for global health policy and practice. Int J MCH AIDS. 2015;3(1):7–15.
Avendano M, Berkman LF, Brugiavini A, Pasini G. The long-run effect of maternity leave benefits on mental health: evidence from European countries. Soc Sci Med. 2015 May;132:45–53.
Shepherd-Banigan M, Bell JF, Basu A, Booth-LaForce C, Harris JR. Workplace stress and working from home influence depressive symptoms among employed women with young children. Int J Behav Med. 2016 Feb 18;23(1):102–11.
Andres E, Baird S, Bingenheimer JB, Markus AR. Maternity leave access and health: a systematic narrative review and conceptual framework development. Matern Child Health J. 2016 Jun 16;20(6):1178–92.
Majee W, Jefferson UT, Goodman LR, Olsberg JE. Four years later: rural mothers’ and employers’ perspectives on breastfeeding barriers following the passage of the affordable care act. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016;27(3):1110–25.
Zoritch B, Roberts I, Oakley A. Day care for pre-school children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016 Oct 11;2016(10).
Shepherd-Banigan M, Bell JF, Basu A, Booth-LaForce C, Harris JR. Mothers’ employment attributes and use of preventive child health services. Medical Care Research and Review. 2017 Apr 3;74(2):208–26.
Rasheed S, Roy SK, Das S, Chowdhury SN, Iqbal M, Akter SM, et al. Policy content and stakeholder network analysis for infant and young child feeding in Bangladesh. BMC Public Health. 2017 Jun 13;17(S2):402.
Kavle JA, LaCroix E, Dau H, Engmann C. Addressing barriers to exclusive breast-feeding in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and programmatic implications. Public Health Nutr. 2017 Dec;20(17):3120–34.
Oddo VM, Surkan PJ, Hurley KM, Lowery C, de Ponce S, Jones-Smith JC. Pathways of the association between maternal employment and weight status among women and children: qualitative findings from Guatemala. Matern Child Nutr. 2018 Jan;14(1).
Jou J, Kozhimannil KB, Abraham JM, Blewett LA, McGovern PM. Paid maternity leave in the United States: associations with maternal and infant health. Matern Child Health J. 2018 Feb;22(2):216–25.
Avendano M, Panico L. Do flexible work policies improve parents’ health? A natural experiment based on the UK Millennium Cohort Study. J Epidemiol Community Health (1978). 2018 Mar;72(3):244–51.
Wainaina CW, Wanjohi M, Wekesah F, Woolhead G, Kimani-Murage E. Exploring the experiences of middle income mothers in practicing exclusive breastfeeding in Nairobi, Kenya. Matern Child Health J. 2018 Apr 18;22(4):608–16.
Tshering D, Gurung MS, Wangmo N, Pelzom D, Tejativaddhana P, Dzed L. Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding of children in Trongsa District, Bhutan. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2018 May 9;30(4):369–77.
Zhang Y, Jin Y, Vereijken C, Stahl B, Jiang H. Breastfeeding experience, challenges and service demands among Chinese mothers: a qualitative study in two cities. Appetite. 2018 Sep;128:263–70.
Basrowi RW, Sastroasmoro S, Sulistomo AW, Bardosono S, Hendarto A, Soemarko DS, et al. Developing a workplace lactation promotion model in Indonesia using Delphi technique. Archives of Public Health. 2018 Dec 5;76(1):70.
Li J, Kaiser T, Pollmann-Schult M, Strazdins L. Long work hours of mothers and fathers are linked to increased risk for overweight and obesity among preschool children: longitudinal evidence from Germany. J Epidemiol Community Health (1978). 2019 Aug;73(8):723–9.
Riaz S, Condon L. The experiences of breastfeeding mothers returning to work as hospital nurses in Pakistan: a qualitative study. Women and Birth. 2019 Apr;32(2):e252–8.
Abou-ElWafa HS, El-Gilany AH. Maternal work and exclusive breastfeeding in Mansoura, Egypt. Fam Pract. 2019 Oct 8;36(5):568–72.
Morain S, Schoen L, Marty M, Schwarz EB. Parental leave, lactation, and childcare policies at top US schools of public health. Am J Public Health. 2019 May;109(5):722–8.
Stack SW, Jagsi R, Biermann JS, Lundberg GP, Law KL, Milne CK, et al. Maternity leave in residency: a multicenter study of determinants and wellness outcomes. Academic Medicine. 2019 Nov;94(11):1738–45.
Jameel A, Vong L, Hun V, Morgan A. Early childhood nutritional implications of the rise in factory employed mothers in rural Cambodia: a qualitative study. Matern Child Health J. 2019 Aug 12;23(8):1087–97.
Sri Widiastuti IAK, Waluyanti FT, Wanda D. The practice of exclusive breastfeeding can reduce frequency of sick children and improve the productivity of health-care provider mothers: study in Samarinda, Indonesia. Compr Child Adolesc Nurs. 2019 Mar 29;42(sup1):300–12.
Clark S, Kabiru CW, Laszlo S, Muthuri S. The impact of childcare on poor urban women’s economic empowerment in Africa. Demography. 2019 Aug 1;56(4):1247–72.
Szczesna A, Grzelak K, Bieniasz M, Kacperczyk-Bartnik J, Dobrowolska-Redo A, Bartnik P, et al. Pregnant surgeon — assessment of potential harm to the woman and her unborn child. Ginekol Pol. 2019 Aug 30;90(8):470–4.
Slopen M. Type and lengths of family leave among New York city women: exploring the composition of paid and unpaid leave. Matern Child Health J. 2020 Apr 28;24(4):514–23.
Van Niel MS, Bhatia R, Riano NS, de Faria L, Catapano-Friedman L, Ravven S, et al. The impact of paid maternity leave on the mental and physical health of mothers and children: a review of the literature and policy implications. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2020 Mar;28(2):113–26.
Doran EL, Bartel AP, Ruhm CJ, Waldfogel J. California’s paid family leave law improves maternal psychological health. Soc Sci Med. 2020 Jul;256:113003.
Horwood C, Surie A, Haskins L, Luthuli S, Hinton R, Chowdhury A, et al. Attitudes and perceptions about breastfeeding among female and male informal workers in India and South Africa. BMC Public Health. 2020 Jun 5;20(1):875.
Elsey H, Fieroze F, Shawon RA, Nasreen S, Hicks JP, Das M, et al. Understanding demand for, and feasibility of, centre-based child-care for poor urban households: a mixed methods study in Dhaka, Bangladesh. BMC Public Health. 2020 Dec 10;20(1):1899.
Kraus MB, Talbott JMV, Melikian R, Merrill SA, Stonnington CM, Hayes SN, et al. Current parental leave policies for medical students at U.S. Medical schools: a comparative study. Academic Medicine. 2021 Sep 23;96(9):1315–8.
Agampodi TC, Dharmasoma NK, Koralagedara IS, Dissanayaka T, Warnasekara J, Agampodi SB, et al. Barriers for early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding up to six months in predominantly rural Sri Lanka: a need to strengthen policy implementation. Int Breastfeed J. 2021 Dec 8;16(1):32.
Vilar-Compte M, Hernández-Cordero S, Ancira-Moreno M, Burrola-Méndez S, Ferre-Eguiluz I, Omaña I, et al. Breastfeeding at the workplace: a systematic review of interventions to improve workplace environments to facilitate breastfeeding among working women. Int J Equity Health. 2021 Apr 29;20(1):110.
Ickes SB, Sanders H, Denno DM, Myhre JA, Kinyua J, Singa B, et al. Exclusive breastfeeding among working mothers in Kenya: Perspectives from women, families and employers. Matern Child Nutr. 2021 Oct 5;17(4).
Ahn JA, Roh EH, Kim T, Lee JH, Song JE. Maternal adaptation of working mothers with infants or toddlers in South Korea: a systematic review. BMC Womens Health. 2021 Dec 21;21(1):213.
Juárez SP, Honkaniemi H, Heshmati AF, Debiasi E, Dunlavy A, Hjern A, et al. Unintended health consequences of Swedish parental leave policy (ParLeHealth): protocol for a quasi-experimental study. BMJ Open. 2021 Jun 9;11(6):e049682.
Kebede EM, Seifu B. Breastfeeding and employed mothers in Ethiopia: legal protection, arrangement, and support. Int Breastfeed J. 2021 Dec 14;16(1):45.
Chen TA, Reitzel LR, Obasi EM, Dave JM. Did school meal programs and SNAP participation improve diet quality of us children from low-income households: evidence from NHANES 2013–2014? Nutrients. 2021 Oct 12;13(10):3574.
Ongprasert K, Siviroj P. Factors associated with the maintenance of breastfeeding at one year among women in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 1;18(17):9224.
Campos AP, Hawkins SS. The association between maternal employment and breastfeeding duration with household income in Mexico. J Hum Lact. 2022 Nov;38(4):749–59.
Carroll G, Vilar-Compte M, Teruel G, Moncada M, Aban-Tamayo D, Werneck H, et al. Estimating the costs for implementing a maternity leave cash transfer program for women employed in the informal sector in Brazil and Ghana. Int J Equity Health. 2022 Dec 12;21(1):20.
Tomori C, Hernández‐Cordero S, Busath N, Menon P, Pérez‐Escamilla R. What works to protect, promote and support breastfeeding on a large scale: a review of reviews. Matern Child Nutr. 2022 May 22;18(S3).
Gbagbo FY, Nkrumah J. Breastfeeding-friendly policies and programs in three public Universities in Ghana. Int Breastfeed J. 2022 Dec 11;17(1):29.
Barasinski C, Stankovic M, Debost-Legrand A, Delabaere A, Vendittelli F, Dutheil F. Workplace lactation support: a cross-sectional study in a university hospital and a perinatal network. Nutrients. 2022 Aug 24;14(17):3463.
Walker K, Green J, Petty J, Whiting L, Staff L, Bromley P, et al. Breastfeeding in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a discussion paper. Journal of Neonatal Nursing. 2022 Feb;28(1):9–15.
Kim HJ, Lee HM, Cheon H, Ko H. Differential impacts of reduced worktime on work-life balance in Korea. PLoS One. 2023;18(11):e0294247.
Amer S, Kateeb E. Mothers’ employment and exclusive breastfeeding practices: a brief report from Jerusalem governorate. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 23;20(3):2066.
Al-Ghannami S, Al-Mamari S, Chekaraou D, Abla C, Al-Ghmmari I, Al-Ajmi A, et al. Exclusive breastfeeding. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal [SQUMJ]. 2022 May 23;
Andrade J, Gil J. Maternal employment and child malnutrition in Ecuador. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jun 29;20(13):6253.
Namiiro FB, Ssemata AS, Abdallah Y, Namusoke F. “I abandoned my job to look after my baby.” Understanding the unpriced cost of care of a preterm infant: Caregivers’ lived experiences. PLoS One. 2023;18(8):e0290101.
Pac J, Bartel A, Ruhm C, Waldfogel J. Paid family leave and parental investments in infant health: evidence from California. Econ Hum Biol. 2023 Dec;51:101308.
Borrell-Porta M, Contreras V, Costa-Font J. Is employment during motherhood a ‘value changing experience’? Adv Life Course Res. 2023 Jun;56:100528.
Sprague A, Earle A, Moreno G, Raub A, Waisath W, Heymann J. National policies on parental leave and breastfeeding breaks: racial, ethnic, gender, and age disparities in access and implications for infant and child health. Public Health Reports. 2024 Jan 3;139(1):39–47.
Riano NS, Linos E, Accurso EC, Sung D, Linos E, Simard JF, et al. Paid family and childbearing leave policies at top US medical schools. JAMA. 2018 Feb 13;319(6):611–4.
Jou J, Kozhimannil KB, Abraham JM, Blewett LA, McGovern PM. Paid maternity leave in the United States: associations with maternal and infant health. Matern Child Health J. 2018 Feb 2;22(2):216–25.
Bütikofer A, Riise J, M. Skira M. The impact of paid maternity leave on maternal health. Am Econ J Econ Policy. 2021 Feb 1;13(1):67–105.
Khan MS. Paid family leave and children health outcomes in OECD countries. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2020;116.
Huebener M, Kuehnle D, Spiess CK. Parental leave policies and socio-economic gaps in child development: Evidence from a substantial benefit reform using administrative data. Labour Econ. 2019 Dec 1;61.
Iellamo A, Sobel H, Engelhardt K. Working mothers of the World Health Organization Western Pacific offices: lessons and experiences to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. J Hum Lact. 2015 Feb;31(1):36–9.
Campos AP, Vilar-Compte M, Hawkins SS. Association between breastfeeding and child overweight in Mexico. Food Nutr Bull. 2021 Sep 28;42(3):414–26.
WHO, UNICEF. Indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding practices: definitions and measurement methods. 2021.
Woldetensay YK, Belachew T, Ghosh S, Kantelhardt EJ, Biesalski HK, Scherbaum V. The effect of maternal depressive symptoms on infant feeding practices in rural Ethiopia: community based birth cohort study. Int Breastfeed J. 2021 Dec 20;16(1):27.
Tariqujjaman Md, Hasan MdM, Mahfuz M, Hossain M, Ahmed T. Association between mother’s education and infant and young child feeding practices in South Asia. Nutrients. 2022 Apr 5;14(7):1514.
Yuswella Babys I, Lanti Y, Dewi R, Rahardjo SS. Meta-analysis the effect of complementary feeding practice on stunting in children aged 6-59 months. Journal of Maternal and Child Health [Internet]. 2022;(04):465–78. Available from: www.thejmch.com
Submitted
Copyright (c) 2024 Fadhila Iswi Deandra, Judhiastuty Februhartanty, Muchtaruddin Mansyur
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
World Nutrition Journal is an open acces journal and under the licence of
