International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE) Vol.2, No.4, December 2013, pp. 159~162 ISSN: 2252-8822  159 Journal homepage: http://iaesjournal.com/online/index.php/IJERE Does Employment Status Affect Breastfeeding? Lina Handayani 1 , Azlina Md. Kosnin 2 , Yeo Kee Jiar 2 1 Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Faculty of Public Health, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 2 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Faculty of Education, Malaysia Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: Received May 26, 2013 Revised Aug 27, 2013 Accepted Sep 12, 2013 The infant feeding decision is complex and involves the influence of psychological, social, and economic factors, and health care system. For working mothers, there are more obstacles and barrier for practicing breastfeeding successfully. Successful breastfeeding for working mothers is not a simple matter. Keyword: Breastfeeding Employment Working Copyright © 2013 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved. Corresponding Author: Lina Handayani, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Jalan Prof. Dr. Soepomo, Janturan, Warungboto, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Email: linafkm@yahoo.com 1. INTRODUCTION Endorsement for breastfeeding has come from the World Health Organization, the International Pediatric Association, the British Department of Health and Social Security, the American Association of Public Health, and the Academy of Pediatrics. The justification for breastfeeding as the infant feeding method of choice continues to be well documented in the scientific literature. Significant nutritional, anti- allergenic, immunological and psychological benefits of breast milk have been identified. Many studies have described the unique advantages of human milk [1]-[4]. According to Chezem et al. (2003), nutrients percentage contained in breast milk are exactly suits the needs of the infant to grow and develop [1]. Moreover, over six month following birth, breast milk transformed from colostrums into mature milk, which protects the infant from gastrointestinal tract and respiratory organs infections, as well as providing protection during the development of the immune system while the immune system [1]. Among the role and status of women in society and labour market and lack of support services have enable women to combine care giving and workplace responsibilities [5]. Notably among women, consequent changes in attitudes towards marriage and childbearing, problems of childcare and related issues (i.e breastfeeding) that tend to grow in complexity. Women nowadays are empowered with education and good position in the labour market. Importantly, more women are having higher education, and this has far reaching implications on marriage and family formation such as doing household and maternal roles [5]. Improvements in the position of women are commonly seen as key facilitators of demographic change, via modification of their child bearing and care-giving behavior [6]. In Indonesia, there has been a significant increase in the trend of women’s participation in the labour force. In 1950 there was only 30.6% on female labour force participation, and until 1999 the female labour force participation increased significantly to 53.2% [7]. Due to this situation, women are challenged to