The participation of men in infant feeding: is this a new step towards gender equity?

Abstract

Our study investigates men’s experience in feeding their children aged from six to 12 months aiming at contributing to the public policy agenda in nutritional education programs focused on early childhood development. The qualitative approach was substantiated by the hermeneutic-dialectical method, based on focus groups with mothers and on in-depth interviews with parents and visitors to public health services and private pediatric clinics. It allowed understanding the investigated topic under different socioeconomic circumstances and organizing them into two categories, namely: male participation in feeding their children, based on both women’s and their own point of view. Results evidenced the complexity of the phenomenon, which is the result from a network of interactions among individuals, their values and their relationship with the present world. Symbolic expressions have reproduced the traditional values, guiding both female and male beliefs. However, the transformation in paternal attitudes towards sharing and getting involved in feeding their children stood out.