Hello to all,
This discussion is just one more facet of our culture's expectation that
"women's work" is undervalued, and often uncompensated.  Has anyone read
"The Milk of Human Kindness", of which Chris Mulford is one of the authors?
This wonderful little book points out that care of infants and children is
enormously important work, and further, that the work of producing and
delivering nutrition to infants by breastfeeding, is almost universally
overlooked by economic policy analysts-- and everyone else, for that matter.
There is only one nation, Norway, which assigns a monetary value to human
breastmilk as part of its gross national product.  And this only reflects
the value of the milk itself, not of the time spent caring for the child
during feedings!

This is one area where I feel the feminist movement has failed us as women
and as a society.  When I came of age in the 1970's the message I got about
being a liberated woman was that I had the freedom to get out into the
workforce and do the same jobs as a man.  Only recently have I begun to hear
a bit more about the rights of women to have our work as mothers valued, and
for society to make a place for that within the economy.  One important
thing all of us lactnetters can do to help make a change in this is to
support legislation for workplace accommodation of lactating moms (break
time during the workday to pump/breastfeed, and a place at work other than
the toilet stall in which to do so).  Dixie Whetsell and I are at work on
such a bill for Oregon, contact me if you are interested in helping us.

So, since the most basic and the most essential work we do as women is not
valued economically in out culture, it makes sense that many of us struggle
to charge adequately for our professional services.  I will get off my
soapbox now, thanks to whomever is listening!
Martha Johnson RN IBCLC
Eugene Oregon USA

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