title: The impact of maternal employment on breast-feeding duration in the UK Millennium Cohort Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship of maternal employment characteristics, day care arrangements and the type of maternity leave pay to breast-feeding for at least 4 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Babies aged 9 months in the Millennium Cohort Study, born between September 2000 and January 2002.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 6917 British/Irish white employed mothers with singleton babies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mothers employed part-time or self-employed were more likely to breast-feed for at least 4 months than those employed full-time (adjusted rate ratio (aRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30 (1.17-1.44) and 1.74 (1.46-2.07), respectively). The longer a mother delayed her return to work postpartum, the more likely she was to breast-feed for at least 4 months (P for trend < 0.001). Mothers were less likely to breast-feed for at least 4 months if they returned to work for financial reasons (aRR 0.86, 95% CI 0.80-0.93) or used informal day care arrangements rather than care by themselves or their partner (aRR 0.81, 95% CI 0.71-0.91). Mothers were more likely to breastfeed for at least 4 months if their employer offered family-friendly (aRR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02-1.27) or flexible work arrangements (aRR 1.24, 95% CI 1.00-1.55), or they received Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) plus additional pay during their maternity leave rather than SMP alone (aRR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.26). These findings were independent of confounding factors, such as socio-economic status and maternal education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current policies may encourage mothers to enter or return to employment postpartum, but this may result in widening inequalities in breast-feeding and persistence of low rates. Policies should aim to increase financial support and incentives for employers to offer supportive work arrangements.
authors: Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK. s.hawkins@ich.ucl.ac.uk
authors: Summer Sherburne
authors: SS
authors: Hawkins
authors: Lucy Jane
authors: LJ
authors: Griffiths
authors: Carol
authors: C
authors: Dezateux
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Law
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D016524:Parental Leave; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology