Breastfeeding is not just an individual decision: social support network configurations for mothers.

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between social support networks and breastfeeding practices from a feminist economics perspective. Based on a qualitative study with 17 Mexican mothers with children under two years old, it explores types of emotional, instrumental, and formal support, and their impact on the establishment and continuation of breastfeeding. Through semi-structured interviews and analysis using ATLAS.ti, it identifies that emotional support, provided primarily by other women, constitutes the central pillar of care practices, operating in an accessory and unequal manner. The findings demonstrate that support networks are fundamental for the sustainability of life and rely largely on unpaid female labor, thus reproducing gender inequalities.