More than 80 per cent of Hong Kong mothers want more breastfeeding facilities in public places and a higher standard of cleanliness, a study by the city’s equality watchdog has found.
Hong Kong mothers who had directly breastfed or expressed milk showed “widespread” dissatisfaction with the state of public breastfeeding facilities in the city, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) said in a study released this week.
The watchdog conducted questionnaire surveys and interviews with 1,000 women and 400 separate online surveys between June and September last year. The study also audited 50 shopping centres and 50 government premises such as public libraries, sports centres and community halls.
Some 81 per cent of the respondents said there was a need for more breastfeeding or expressing facilities in public places. About the same number said both commercial and government premises should improve the hygiene standards of existing facilities.
Among the shopping centres and government premises inspected, most of which were at least 24 years old, there were no baby-care or lactation rooms in 10 malls and eight government premises.
Baby-care areas in about 52 per cent of the shopping centres and 38 per cent of the government premises inspected failed to meet the size suggested by authorities.
Citing a focus group discussion that involved 30 mothers, the EOC said some common challenges included inadequate availability of breastfeeding facilities, especially in older malls and government premises, and the inconsistent quality of those facilities.
Mothers also faced long queues during peak times, insufficient or small rooms, improper usage by users without babies, a lack of separation between lactation and diaper changing areas, and hygiene issues.
“The conditions of these facilities will directly affect whether women choose to breastfeed or express milk in public places, and may even become barriers to breastfeeding,” said Ferrick Chu of the EOC.
The watchdog interviewed 10 representatives of property developers, who said they faced challenges in renovating old shopping malls owing to “regulatory complexities” such as guidelines from the Buildings Department and the fire services.
The EOC urged the government to provide incentives including tax incentives for the building of breastfeeding facilities. The authorities could also consider setting up an awards scheme.
To alleviate the shortage, it suggested that the Buildings Department revise its guidelines to encourage the provision of more than one baby-care and lactation room in commercial buildings.
A mandate requiring developers and government premises to devise long-term plans for establishing and maintaining baby-care rooms should be put in place.
