Women's Market Work, Infant Feeding Practices, and Infant Nutrition Among Low-Income Women in Santiago, Chile*

Abstract

This study gains further insight into the interaction between womens employment status infant feeding practices and infant nutrition among low income urban families. Primary data from a prospective cohort study were collected from a sample of 404 working and nonworking mothers whose infants were observed from birth to 6 months of age in 1984-1985. The focus of the analysis here is on the competing demands on mothers time resulting from her maternal and working activities. The results showed that mothers work did not affect the decision to initiate breast feeding as most mothers did so but it did affect its duration shifting working mothers to the use of mixed breast feeding more frequently than nonworking mothers. On average a higher proportion of working mothers than their nonworking counterparts had already introduced artificial milk both as a substitute for as well as a complement to breast feeding when infants were 3 months old. Weaning foods were also introduced earlier in the diets of their infants. In analyzing the choices of breast feeding and other infant feeding practices the study considers that breast feeding is not desirable per se but rather as a means to achieve better infant nutrition. The results showed that exclusive breast feeding duration did not significantly affect the production of infant nutrition except when complemented with solid foods. This may suggest that the appropriate timing for the introduction of weaning foods rather than exclusive breast feeding duration per se is more important in influencing adequate infant nutrition. Mothers work has 2 opposing effects on infant nutrition: 1) it implies in this context an increased use of artificial milk and a more restricted use of breast feeding but 2) it makes it possible for low income households to increase food expenditures and to have better access to other complementary resources such as health thus improving the chances of better infant nutrition and child development.