To protect health & support #breastfeeding, women need: 💟 Paid maternity leave - preferably 6+ months – in line with WHO recommendations for exclusive breastfeeding 💟 Time off for breastfeeding or expressing milk upon return to work 💟 Breastfeeding-friendly workplaces & affordable childcare https://bit.ly/4wyTpzy #WorldBreastfeedingWeek
100%!!!! As a new mom who works in Denmark and received paid maternity leave, I could not agree more. Those months with my newborn were imperative for my baby's well-being and development, and the main reason I can follow breastfeeding guidance.
Crucial message! Paid maternity leave and supportive workplace policies aren't just social benefits they are fundamental public health investments that directly impact child development and maternal well-being. Workplaces need to bridge this gap to create truly inclusive environments.
Paid maternity leave and breastfeeding support should be recognised as essential public health measures, not optional workplace benefits. When women are given enough time, privacy and practical support, both maternal wellbeing and child health are strengthened.
As a physician of over 30 years and cofounder of the Zinure Foundation, I have seen the evidence play out in real patients. Paid maternity leave is linked to lower rates of postpartum depression, longer breastfeeding duration, lower infant mortality, and stronger workforce retention for women. It also carries a generational cost when it is absent. The financial precarity and unsupported caregiving I see driving chronic disease in my older patients today often trace back decades, to the earliest, most vulnerable months of motherhood. This is not just a family policy issue. It is a public health issue, an economic issue, and through my work with Zinure one I believe deserves far more urgency than it currently gets.
Six months of paid leave is not a benefit, it’s a standard. Aligning labour policies with WHO recommendations is achievable when health, finance, and gender sectors coordinate. I’ve contributed to policy dialogues on maternal health and would welcome conversation on advancing this agenda in different regional contexts. World Health Organization thank you.
Agreed. The debate surrounding WHO/ILO maternity leave recommendations highlights a long-standing dilemma, especially for labor-intensive industries. While the health benefits of a 6-month paid leave are clear, the low global ratification rate of ILO conventions reflects the real operational challenges businesses face. In headcount-dependent manufacturing, extended absences without clear coverage disrupt production flow. Furthermore, if employers bear 100% of the financial burden, it risks creating unintended bias against hiring female workers of reproductive age. The solution requires a balanced approach: Governments participating through social security mechanisms; Providing lactation facilities, flexible pumping breaks, and structured return-to-work programs. Sustainable policy must protect worker health without undermining business viability.
Paid Maternity leave is (and should always be) a lot more than breastfeeding. It is an investment in the citizens, families, in their well being and ultimately society gains in several fronts. Some developed countries have no valid excuse to avoid this.
In Pakistan, many working mothers receive only three months of paid maternity leave, and some organizations do not provide paid leave at all. This makes it very difficult for mothers to continue breastfeeding, even though it is recommended for up to two years. We need better support for working mothers. Offices should provide longer paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks, daycare facilities, and private breastfeeding rooms. Breastfeeding spaces should also be available in public places like shopping malls, airports, and parks. Supporting breastfeeding is not only good for mothers and babies, but also for a healthier future for our society.
Paid maternity leave must come with compensation for the employer. No one wins popularity contests when an academic is not teaching for a session (due to maternity leave - and this is all I ever asked for, as teaching and a new baby are really incompatible), and then some colleague needs to stomach the extra load. Same with small companies that just cannot afford sending some of the few staff they have - so naturally the longer the maternity leave (in Germany up to 7 years for multiple kids!), this becomes a (valid) reason to not hire women at all. At the end of the day, the work needs doing, somehow, and we are all in this together.