Equity in support for lactation within higher education: A comparative analysis of university workplace lactation support policies

Background: Equity in breastfeeding within the workplace is access to support that allows all employees to meet their breastfeeding needs. Current federal laws which support workplace lactation are limited to non-exempt employees and only 25 states have laws that extend workplace lactation provisions to  all employees. University workplace lactation polices provide a structure for outlining lactation support beneficiaries (which can include all employees as well as students), and ensure that  access to support is constraint. However, little is known about how universities define and integrate equity in breastfeeding within their workplace  lactation support polices, particularly as these polices are put into practice. The aim of this study is to describe how equity is conceptualized and integrated within the  provisions of university based lactation support policies and asses whether or not equity is reflected within university practices.

Methods: A total of 29 university lactation policies were identified within a sample of 98 universities from a large study on university based lactation support. Both a content and constant comparative analysis method was employed  within  four phases of analysis: language used to define equity;  presence/absence of equity  in policy aims and scope; equity/inequity reflected in policy provisions; consistency   between policy aims, provisions, and  university practice (practice documents).

Implications: understanding how equity in breastfeeding is conceptualized and applied within university based lactation policies will inform the development of  guidelines to ensure that current and future polices and practices are consistent  across universities and contribute to the promotion of equity in breastfeeding as a whole.