Breastfeeding is important for the development of children, but this activity faces challenges in Mexico and some specialists explain more details about it.
In Mexico, the level of breastfeeding is 34%, a low percentage compared to other Latin American countries where it is 43%, due to the lack of support from companies and the public sector..
Breastfeeding, motherhood and paternity are an important challenge in the country, because it has to do with structural and cultural causes that require a lot of attention.said Paloma Infestas, head of Education at the Coppel Foundation.
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Above all, because it is considered that women should have the responsibility of caring for minors and “the problem is that many do not have that support”so “once they ask for maternity leave, they no longer return to work,” he explained.
And they no longer work again because there are not enough company support schemes such as agreements with daycare centers.in addition to the fact that in the last federal government administration the child care centers disappeared, which was a problem.
He explained that the Business Coordinating Council (CCE) and Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) did a survey called “Companies that care” and found that There is a low number of women in the workplace because they have to take care of the children and there is no support for breastfeeding.
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Given this situation, he pointed out that policies in favor of mothers must be promoted. on issues of maternity leave, flexible schedules, access to breastfeeding and child care rooms for children.
Which implies awareness to have these spaces and use them, because in the survey it was found that 65% of companies have lactation rooms, especially large companies“but the problem is that the lactation room is there and it is not used, because the leaders are not sensitized and do not let the mothers breastfeed during their permitted hours or, sometimes, because not even the collaborators know those policies, that is, deep down they do not know their labor rights and they ask us for them.”
Infestas said that Companies should also let parents know that they have the right to take five business days off when they have a child..
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“Sometimes many men don’t even take those days because they don’t knowbecause the companies do not inform them, because they are unaware of the policies. So, we are still quite far behind on the issue of parental co-responsibility,” he added.
Men must also be caregivers of children, they must be part of the upbringinghe added.
Another problem that was found in established companies In Mexico, 27% of companies do not even know if their employees are fathers or mothers; while 73% do know.
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Despite this, it was found that 70% of those interviewed say that there is flexibility for those fathers or mothers who require permission to attend their children at school and medical appointments.
He explained that as part of the Early Childhood Network that is part of the CCE they seek to push policies “helping more companies learn how to measure, monitor and how to push these policies in favor of the family and child care”, with data the actions can be adjusted to correct along the way.
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OA