One fifth of breastfeeding mums have been harassed while feeding their children in public

This National Breastfeeding Week, Kate Ng takes a closer look at new data which shows the extent of harassment breastfeeding mothers are being exposed to

Breastfeeding mothers report increase in harassment when they feed their children in public, according to research by Elvie (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Women who breastfeed have reported a drastic increase in harassment when they breastfeed in public in the past month, a survey has found.

Research by women’s health brand Elvie found that more than half (52 per cent) of women reported strangers staring at them while they breastfed, a 30 per cent increase compared with women who previously breastfed but stopped before July 2021.

A quarter of the women surveyed (24 per cent) said they were told by strangers to cover up, while a fifth (22 per cent) have had photos taken of them and received negative remarks.