Breastfeeding bodies at work: moving beyond invisible, individual and ‘reasonable’ responses

In Australia, workplace accommodations for breastfeeding needs remain notably underexplored. This article examines relevant aspects of Australia’s legislative framework for supporting breastfeeding bodies at work at the federal level — parental leave entitlements, flexible work rights, and discrimination protections. Interviews with human resource professionals illuminate how workplace breastfeeding accommodations are perceived. The findings reveal that breastfeeding at work is not meaningfully supported in Australia’s legislative framework. Employers may refuse flexible work requests and preserve discriminatory policies where it is ‘reasonable’ to do so, preserving patriarchal business norms and precluding structural change. Breastfeeding is expected to be accommodated through individual and invisible strategies, initiated and managed by the breastfeeding worker. This regulatory approach aligns with societal perceptions of breastfeeding as a private issue and incompatible with ‘ideal worker’ norms. The findings justify the need to reevaluate the regulatory tools available to breastfeeding workers to meaningfully embrace breastfeeding bodies at work. This will require paid breastfeeding breaks, generous parental leave entitlements, stronger flexible work rights, and targeted positive duties for employers to eliminate discrimination.