Breastfeeding: Feminists have aligned themselves on both sides of this issue; we find support for breastfeeding as an intrasexual domain for signaling one’s social status and resources

Volk, A. A., & Franklin, P. (2020). When is the breast best? Infant feeding as a domain of intrasexual competition. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 14(1), 6–18. Jan 2020. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000167

Abstract: Medical science is unanimous in stating the numerous and significant benefits (to child and mother) of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is free and is biologically plausible for most mothers. Yet a significant percentage of mothers do not breastfeed their infants. Feminist theorists have aligned themselves on both sides of this issue (as well as the fence in between). Some view breastfeeding as an inherently natural and empowering aspect of femininity. Others view it as a means of suppressing women’s choices and belittling their contributions. We suggest that one reason for this controversy is that breastfeeding may be about more than just providing nutrition to one’s infant. Breastfeeding may also represent a domain of female intrasexual competition. We review evidence from modern developed and developing countries, historical countries, and hunter–gatherer cultures and find it consistent with our hypothesis. Specifically, wealthy women in developed countries tend to have fewer children yet flaunt their breastfeeding as a display of their resources whereas wealthy women in developing/historical countries tend to demonstrate their resources by focusing on having more children and avoiding breastfeeding. We therefore find support for breastfeeding as an intrasexual domain for signaling one’s social status and resources. Given this variation in breastfeeding practices, we argue that breastfeeding is an agentic expression of women’s proximate and evolved psychological decisions and advocate for providing supports that allow women to freely make the best decisions for themselves.

Public Significance Statement—Our research examines why there has been conflicting views of breastfeeding from varying feminist perspectives. We suggest that breastfeeding may represent more than simply the feeding of one’s infant. It may also represent a potential form of intrasexual competition between women. We argue for providing women supports that allow them to freely make the best decisions for themselves regarding breastfeeding choices.