Current Institutional Affiliation
Assistant Lecturer, Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast

Award Information

Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa: Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Fellowship 2014
Institutional Affiliation (at time of award):
Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast
NATURE OF MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT AND ITS INFLUENCES ON EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING IN CAPE COAST

Background: Maternal employment is widely cited as one of the major barriers to exclusive breastfeeding throughout the world. The study will therefore examine how the nature of mothers' employment influences the maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding. Socialist feminist perspective will guide the study. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design utilizing mixed methods will be used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide will serve as the main research instruments. The target population is mothers with infants not older than six months. Results: The study is expected to bring to light how the nature of work influences how mothers feed their babies in the first six months of life. Recommendation: The study will recommend, among others, the extension of maternity leave for mothers in the formal sector, sustenance of the promotion of optimal breastfeeding practices and intensification of infant feeding education among mothers in general.

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