The Significance of Mothers’ Voice at Household Level: A Decision-making Process to Increase the Health Status of Mothers and Babies

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that breastfeeding impacts both mothers and babies positively. One of the determinants of breastfeeding success is the decision to breastfeed. Many studies show that mothers have always made most decisions, particularly at the household level. However, the infant feeding decision is a critical step toward improving the health of mothers and babies. The aim of this article is to explore the breastfeeding decision-making process and how it relates to breastfeeding practice. Furthermore, this article attempts to gain insights into the possibility of gender bias on top-level decision-makers (legislators), who are always predominantly male. This study took a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews with ten couples in Jakarta and surrounding areas. There are several intriguing research findings. First, this study demonstrates that mothers play an essential role in the infant feeding decision-making process. Furthermore, the study discovered that while mothers choose the method of infant feeding, fathers play an important role in supporting their wives' choice. The most important result in terms of a gender perspective is that the voice of mothers is significant at the household level. This study used evidence-based decision-making for mothers to minimize gender barriers and policy gaps in health regulations. As a result, we recommend that this action be recognized by many related stakeholders, particularly the legislative level as the primary decision-makers in Indonesia in the larger context. Because encouraging women to participate in decision-making processes, particularly those related to health development, is urged to create a better breastfeeding policy.