Why do men feel uncomfortable when mothers breastfeed in public? A group of young researchers at Victoria University is investigating. Geoff Maslen reports.
When Victorian MP Kirsty Marshall breastfed her new baby in State Parliament two years ago, she was ousted by a 146-year-old rule banning "strangers" from the House. The baby, of course, being the stranger.
In another incident, television personality Kate Langbroek generated controversy when she breastfed her newborn child on Channel Ten's The Panel. These events created public outrage and a subsequent newspaper poll revealed most people believed breastfeeding in the workplace should not be allowed.
The row gave a team of student investigators at Victoria University a topic to explore and they showed that you don't need several degrees to conduct high-quality research. In a unit on social research methods, the third-year psychology students were required to undertake an investigative project.
Three of the students - Catherine Clarke, Deborah Goraiski and Natalie Stead - spoke with their lecturer, Dr Wendy Saunders, about what they might do. Dr Saunders urged them to tackle something topical, even controversial; the students looked at each other and said: "Breastfeeding!"
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