Anesthesiologist and former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams states: “Only through the support of family, communities, clinicians, health care systems, and employers will we be able to make breastfeeding the easy choice” (asamonitor.pub/3yTBN6i).
Administrators often view childrearing and its associated demands upon women as an inconvenience. A 2020 survey of anesthesiology program directors in the United States found that parenthood was perceived to affect the clinical performance and training of females more negatively than males (Can J Anaesth 2021;68:1485-96). In a 2017 cross-specialty survey, nearly half of women anesthesiologists reported maternal discrimination related to pregnancy, maternity leave, or breastfeeding. This percentage was higher than any other specialty surveyed (JAMA Intern Med 2017;177:1033-6). Another recent survey found that women were more likely to be discouraged than encouraged to become pregnant or breastfeed in the workplace (Anesth Analg 2019;128:e109-12; Br J Anaesth 2020;124:e134-47)....
