Explainer | Why women in China breastfeed less than rest of world, the Post explores Chinese culture, body autonomy on International Women’s Day
- Only 29 per cent of babies breastfed in China, global average is 43 per cent
- The Post examines breastfeeding, being a mother in today’s mainland
The story of a mother in China, who was interrupted and criticised for breastfeeding her baby in a shopping centre, has reignited the debate about breastfeeding in public.
The Shanghai mother-of-two used the staffroom of an amusement area inside a shopping centre to breastfeed her youngest child, taking her older child and their nanny with her, on February 26.
However, a female member of staff who was worried about her property that was kept in the room, entered twice without knocking on the door.
The mother posted a video of their quarrel online, which received 5 million views on Douyin. She said she was disappointed that the member of staff did not show more understanding.
The conflict between the two women reflects the lack of social support for breastfeeding on the mainland.
On International Women’s Day, the Post takes a closer look at breastfeeding and being a mother in China.
Breastfeeding in China
Breastfeeding remains unpopular in China.
According to the latest data released by the China Development Research Foundation in 2019, only 29 per cent of babies under six months are breastfed on the mainland, much lower than the global average of 43 per cent.
The World Health Organization advocates for breastfeeding as healthy for women, reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, heart disease and diabetes.
Also the feeding method helps delay the return of the menstrual cycle and increases birth spacing.
Lack of social support
In 2021, China’s National Health Commission launched the Breastfeeding Promotion Action Plan (2021-2025), in which it sets out the goal of achieving a breastfeeding rate of 50 per cent and over for babies under six months by the end of 2025.
The plan also aims at 80 per cent coverage of public facilities to support breastfeeding mothers.
At present, there are still not enough public facilities in China, and the quality is below standard in some of the places that have set up baby-care rooms.
Last year, a couple in China was frustrated to find out that there were no available baby-care rooms in any of the 20 motorway service stations they went to during a 900km journey across the country.
“Only two service stations had baby-care rooms. One was not in use, the other was used as a storage room,” the father of a three-month-old child said. The mother had to breastfeed and change nappies in the car.
Other reasons that breastfeeding is less popular in China include a lack of support for mothers returning to the workplace and the over-advertisement of milk formula products.
Motherhood and body autonomy
A report jointly published by the Global Breastfeeding Collective and the World Health Organization in 2018 described women’s body autonomy as “having the right to breastfeed whenever and wherever they choose”.
Women in China frequently experience body shaming when breastfeeding in public. Many mothers share worries about embarrassing themselves and others on social media.
Some women interpret body autonomy as the freedom to give up breastfeeding if they feel unable to physically or mentally sustain it. Others see it as their right to choose not to have babies.
One mother said she felt breastfeeding had turned her into a “walking milk bottle”.
She could not endure the pain of breast engorgement and cracked nipples to satisfy her baby who needed milk every two to three hours.
