Proteção, promoção e apoio à amamentação na Universidade Federal da Paraíba

Abstract

This study aimed to understand how the Federal University of Paraíba can contribute to the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding among its staff members. To achieve this, the research sought to identify the main public policies and institutional practices for promoting, protecting, and supporting breastfeeding for working mothers in Brazil. Bibliographic and documental research techniques were employed to discuss the themes surrounding the subject, notably: women's work, gender inequality, breastfeeding, the university, and its social responsibility. Studies were researched in the "Scientific Electronic Library Online" Brazil platform and the Catalog of Theses and Dissertations of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, restricting the search to the last 10 years (2014–2023). In addition, legal sources were consulted to support the research concerning the existing legal protections in the country. This is an exploratory study that adopted a qualitative approach to its content. The importance of breastfeeding for human development and the public policies that support working women were discussed, emphasizing the collective responsibility of ensuring adequate breastfeeding for children so that this task is not solely borne by women. It became evident that, although there have been advances in Brazilian legislation in recent years, it still does not meet the minimum standards established by health organizations for the protection of breastfeeding and early childhood. Policies and practices that can be implemented by institutions, including the Federal University of Paraíba, were identified to promote, protect, and support their female employees. These include: providing breastfeeding support rooms in the workplace; extending maternity and paternity leave; reducing working hours for breastfeeding mothers without a reduction in pay; establishing workplace childcare facilities; prioritizing vacation scheduling after maternity or paternity leave; monitoring by healthcare professionals in the workplace; offering and prioritizing remote work or telework for mothers, particularly breastfeeding mothers; and promoting initiatives to educate supervisors and colleagues about the importance and necessity of breastfeeding. As a result of this research, a draft regulatory document was developed for the Federal University of Paraíba based on the main practices and public policies identified in the studies. The analysis and potential implementation of these measures can serve as a model for other federal higher education institutions with similar structures.