Just to show how our specialism can be studied in all sorts of ways,
here is a recent paper from a team of social geographers, published
in the geographical academic journal 'Area'. The word 'space' is
apparently a technical term in geography - it means (I think!) the
social, cultural and topographic setting where a behaviour takes
place.
I haven't read the whole paper, but have heard a preentation of it by
the team. Their study reveals that place has an influence on infant
feeding. Put simply, we know that (in the UK) social classes 1 and 2
are the most likely to bf. But social classes 1 and 2 in the North
East of England are *less likely* than social classes 1 and 2 in the
South East. You can have a mother with an identical educational,
social, financial etc profile, and her feeding choice can differ
according to where in the UK she happens to be at the time. This is
something like the discussion we had about the Irish and the
Bangladeshis a couple of weeks ago.
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK
************************************************
Infant feeding in North East England: contested spaces of reproduction
Area; Volume 33: Issue 3
Rachel Pain: Department of Geography, University of Durham, South
Road, Durham DH1 3LE
Cathy Bailey: Department of Geography, University of Durham, South
Road, Durham DH1 3LE
Graham Mowl: Division of Geography and Environmental Management,
University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST
Abstract:
Decisions about infant feeding are commonly viewed as an issue of
personal choice made in the light of information about the benefits
of breastfeeding. A pilot study of first-time parents' decisions and
experiences in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, suggests that local
cultural contexts, in particular how men and women are seen to be
parenting in different spaces, have a profound influence on infant
feeding.
***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
