The Effects of Women's Work on Breastfeeding Outcomes and Time Allocation in Bangladeshi Shodagor Fishing and Trading Communities.

Authors

Kathrine E Starkweather, Haley Ragsdale, Margaret Butler, Fatema Tuz Zohora, Nurul Alam

Published in

Journal of human lactation : official journal of International Lactation Consultant Association. Pages 8903344261452011. Jul 12, 2026. Epub Jul 12, 2026.

Abstract

Maternal work promotes household and child wellbeing but often presents barriers to optimal breastfeeding outcomes. Maternal work in the variable informal economy has less well-established impacts, but may facilitate breastfeeding when work is childcare compatible.
We conducted survival analysis using data from 110 breastfeeding dyads to assess occupation's effects on time-to-return to work, time-to-complementary feeding, and time-to-breastfeeding cessation in a mixed cash/subsistence economy of fishers, traders, and housewives. We drew on 5,874 hours of longitudinal time-diary data for 68 dyads to evaluate whether occupation and maternal work/childcare strategy (home with child, working with child in tow, or working without bringing child) predicted daily breastfeeding patterns.
Fishers returned to work significantly earlier postpartum than traders (p < .001) and began complementary feeding earlier than traders (p < .01) and housewives (p < .001). Occupation did not explain differences in breastfeeding cessation, though a higher proportion of fishers and housewives breastfed for at least 2 years compared to traders. Returning to work, with or without children, was negatively associated with total daily breastfeeding and with the percentage of breastfeeding occurring during daytime hours, with the greatest reductions for mothers working without children present (all p < .001).
Working conditions that are compatible with childcare are beneficial for most breastfeeding outcomes, except exclusive breastfeeding. Our results emphasize the importance of childcare-compatible work that allows flexibility to breastfeed more frequently while working. Results also add to a growing call for institutional-level postpartum economic support for all women in the informal economy, regardless of their occupation's compatibility with childcare.

PMID:
42437464
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Jul 2026.

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