Woman “mooed” by coworkers for pumping breast milk
by Carder
When she interviewed with the company in 2012, Van De Pitte told supervisors she needed some flexibility because she had two young children and was still nursing her 1-year-old son, and would need a private space where she could pump during the work day, according to the complaint.
On her first day of work, another nursing mother told her that the “private space” was the company’s supply room. Her co-worker then cautioned her to keep her breast pump hidden because other employees thought it was “gross.”
~ Christine Pelisek reporting on the gender discrimination lawsuit brought by employee Monica Van De Pitte (pictured with her family) against a company that tolerated harassment against her, especially when she would pump breast milk, People, December 7
[HT: Hans Johnson; Photo via: Oregon Live]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
It’s too bad these sorts of things can’t be settled by mature adults out of court and legislatures. I forget who observed this (John Adams said something along these lines), that the less moral a people are, the more breakdown of society you have, the more laws are needed and courts to maintain order. It’s the irony of liberty, only an orderly society can enjoy it, a libertine society will never sustain liberty long.
Where are all of the feminists now? This sister needs some support in her attempts to have it all.
The existence of abortion is an oppression to all women, especially those who desire to keep and care for their children.
What some women choose to do does not oppress those who choose not to. Oppression occurs when women are forced to gestate an unwanted or risky pregnancy and go through delivery. Oppression is agitating to force others to live their lives as you would rather than as they wish to.
Pumping is definitely a hard thing to do in some workplaces. In my experience so far, it depends almost entirely on the people you’re working with. As I’ve mentioned before, I work in a very male-dominated, blue-collar job situation. Which is not a place that nursing mothers have historically been found, so I try to view myself as fortunate to be in a situation where I get to effect change and sort of “pave the way” for women who follow. I usually pump in a bathroom just because I already feel conspicuous enough and don’t want to make waves by requesting a nicer location. It’s not like we just have spare offices lying around – it’s pretty much a bathroom or a boiler room, in most of the venues I work in. And yes, I’ve pumped while sitting on the floor of a boiler room; I vastly prefer the bathroom. I’m one of the only women at my current job so almost no one but me uses that bathroom, and the few times that another woman has come in while I’m busy they have always had supportive or commiserating comments to share, so that while it is awkward, it isn’t terrible. The cleaning woman’s daughter is currently also pumping after having returned to work, so she always tells me that she cleans that bathroom extra-well to give me as clean a space as possible, which I think is very kind and compassionate.
But I do have to try really hard not to feel like walking into that bathroom with my pump in my hand is just an invitation, to all the guys who see me, to think about…my breasts. Still, I keep my head held high. And I confront the situation head-on when I feel like someone is alluding to it. One time a carpenter made a comment, I can’t remember what, but just something like “You walk past this part of the construction shop a million times a day!” I laughed and said, “Well, you know, I’m sure you must think I have severe gastrointestinal distress, sneaking out to this hidden bathroom and spending so much time in it, but it’s pretty boring: I’m just pumping. And before you go getting any ideas, this is even less sexy than if I had gastrointestinal distress.” He was like, “Oh, okay,” and laughed and otherwise never mentioned it again. I find that sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself in order to be given a bit more respect. Refusing to allow any innuendo or euphemisms or anything like that, and openly talking about it, has left people virtually no room for being jerks, in my situation at least.
Now everyone is mostly really supportive. I brought the baby to a work party last week and all the carpenters were like “I can see why you need to take breaks now, this kid’s huge!” I also often just leave my breast pump in a spare locker near that restroom, just to avoid carrying it back and forth, and no one takes offense or comments. I store my milk in the fridge in its little cooler and I refuse to feel like I shouldn’t. If anyone ever mooed at me or honked my breasts (!) I think there would probably be about fifty burly dudes he’d have to answer to, honestly. I thought it would be very hard to pump in my line of work but mostly I have had more support from my co-workers than many of my friends in white-collar jobs have. A lot of the men I work with are fathers, some with 4+ kids, whereas I feel like more of the men in my friends’ offices delay parenthood longer. I think that has a lot to do with it.
Though I admit I sort of laughed at the idea of putting a picture of a cow on the door. That’s something I might actually do if I weren’t worried about offending OTHER people. But yeah, having someone do that TO you is different. Seriously inappropriate. I can’t believe that her supervisors didn’t even attempt to put a stop to any of this.
@Reality: You just never seem to get it.
We aren’t telling anyone how they have to live.
We are only telling everyone whom we will not kill.
We mean to protect innocent human lives — even yours — from intentional harm, from conception to natural death. This is the humane way to treat everyone.
No Del, it’s broader than just abortion. You rail against a plethora of things that you don’t like about society. You have clearly expressed how you think things, and people, should be; in regards to education, societal structures and sexuality. You do attempt to tell others how they should live. It ain’t gonna happen. You just don’t seem to get that.
On this occasion you claimed that abortion is an oppression to all women, especially those who desire to keep and care for their children. This is fundamentally incorrect. One woman choosing to have an abortion has no impact whatsoever on another woman. Nor does it have any affect on other womens’ desire to keep and care for their children. It’d be like me claiming to be oppressed because you choose to go to church. I’m not.
Let me know when you become an activist against the death penalty.
Reality,
I am an activist against the death penalty and pro-life. What is your point?
You’re quite predictable truthseeker ;-)
Innocent people have been executed. Given the claimed penchant for protecting ‘innocent human lives’ all anti-choicers should be against the death penalty.
Popcorn.
“Reality” is getting drawn out.
It is becoming more obvious that “Reality” has an over-powering Anti-Christian agenda directing his or her comments – not just the abortion issue.
“Reality” has it out for all Christians who dare to figure out what the faith encourages, and who dare to stick with that.
Give “Reality” enough rope…
Echo.
Draw me out as much as you like TLD. I don’t see the problem.
Why do you assume it’s just an anti-christian agenda? Guilt? I assure you it isn’t just christians that I don’t like trying to force their thinking, beliefs and behaviors onto others.
I’m quite happy for christians to stick it out on whatever they figure their faith may encourage. Not happy when they try to force others to comply with that, but that’s not just limited to christians.
Give me as much rope as you think you can TLD…
I don’t think he’s gonna get it, either. Ever.
People, stop trying.
Can’t ‘get’ that which isn’t real Courtnay. I’m not prepared to delude myself. And there are too many who feel the same way for you to convince them otherwise.
“What some women choose to do does not oppress those who choose not to.”
Try telling that to her dependents.
Browsing back through, I see that I missed the fact that “Reality” has gone pro-life!
Reality says: “Innocent people have been executed.”
I’ve always been pro-life TLD, it’s just that I’m so pro-life I’m not anti-choice.