Project description
Factors influencing breastfeeding in culturally different countries
Breastfeeding holds a position of significant importance in Europe. Finland boasts a breastfeeding rate of 95 %, whereas Ireland falls below 60 %. These countries encounter common challenges, such as budget constraints, inadequate support, pressures from the formula industry and the sexualisation of breasts. The MSCA-funded INFEDE project seeks to investigate the factors that influence mothers’ decisions regarding feeding in these culturally distinct nations and to deliver innovative research on women’s experiences in both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. The project will explore cultural expectations and infant feeding policies in Ireland and Finland, shedding light on how this practice is influenced by personal, cultural and societal factors. It will employ a combination of content and narrative analysis methods.
Objective
The aim of the project is to critically examine the factors influencing mothers decisions on infant feeding in two different cultural locations: Ireland and Finland and to provide innovative research on womens experiences of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. The project highlights that infant feeding decisions are not made independent of social and cultural context. There are two specific objectives: 1) To explore and identify the cultural expectations and policies concerning infant feeding in Ireland and Finland. This objective is the groundwork for RO2, and informants are people working and volunteering in breastfeeding associations and midwife organizations. 2) To research infant feeding as a contextual practice that has personal, cultural, and social levels. This is achieved by analysing the interview narratives conducted with mothers from both countries while being sensitive to intersectional differences and socially constructed subject positions. The research method is qualitative and has an interdisciplinary approach combining content analysis and narrative analysis methods with gender studies, media studies and sociology. An intersectional reading is used while analysing the data. The project contributes to the research of infant feeding and breastfeeding which is set as a health priority throughout Europe. The reasons behind breastfeeding or bottle feeding are various and this research adds knowledge and understanding to the different levels of infant feeding. The breastfeeding rates in selected countries are very different; in Finland over 95 % of mothers initiate breastfeeding while in Ireland the rates are much lower and little more than 60 % are breastfed. This makes Irelands breastfeeding rates one of the lowest in the EU. Still, both countries are affected by the savings targeted to maternity services, the lack of support in the early days of mothering, the pressures of profit gaining formula industry, and the constant sexualisation of breasts.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
W23 Maynooth
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.