Do mothers have to breastfeed their babies in public? Every fifth Austrian thinks that the breast has not lost anything when breastfeeding in public space – and that it is unpleasant or unsanitary.
After all, 57 percent support breastfeeding in public spaces. It was a little less with childless people with 53 percent. This was demonstrated by a representative online survey among 1000 people in Austria, which was carried out by TQS Research & Consulting on behalf of the baby article manufacturer MAM in June.
Of the mothers surveyed, it did not find inappropriate to give babies outside their own four walls. About a third of the respondents believe that breastfeeding is great in public places, as long as the mother covers.
Finding eleven percent, mothers have to go to a place that cannot be seen, such as the toilet or a separate angle. Five percent of the men studied and two percent of the women surveyed stated that babies should be satisfied at home alone.
Negative reactions
According to surveys, which were carried out in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2022 and 2023, two of the three mothers have already experienced negative reactions if they gave their baby their own four walls outside their own four walls.
Fragments from more than 1000 reports from affected women show that public breastfeeding sometimes leads to negative comments or complaints: “I was called a dairy cow”, a woman was cited in the broadcast, another reported: “Another mother in the restaurant complained about me in the waiter because her teenage sons could not look.”
Three quarters of the participants in the current survey support legal protection for mothers who are breastfeeding in public spaces. Among younger than 30 it is even 85 percent, said it in the broadcast. On the occasion of the World Still Week from 1 to 7 August 2025, MAM and the Vienna Midwifery Center, ask for legal protection for mothers who are breastfeeding.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
