Feminism, breasts and breast feeding
By: Pam Carter ; foreword by Mary Evans ; consultant editor, Jo Campling.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 266
Subjects: Feminism.; Breast.; Breastfeeding.
Description: Using a feminist perspective this book examines the vast amount of writing and talking about breast-feeding. Drawing on women's own accounts the author shows that most texts considerably oversimplify the picture by suggesting baby-milk manufacturers as the only villains of the piece in the decline of breast-feeding during the twentieth century.

A more complex understanding takes account of the sexualisation of breasts, the working conditions under which infant-feeding takes place, professional interventions into mothering, and women's experiences of their bodies. Class and race are also significant: middle-class women to follow professional advice; black women particularly disappoint Western policy-makers in not living up to expectations that they will be natural breast-feeders. Policies, professional guidelines and popular breast-feeding books, shown to be preoccupied with getting women to do what they deem is natural, fail to address women's real needs.

Finally, ideas for a feminist practice in infant-feeding are explored.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-259) and indexes.