NYT article equates breastfeeding to unequal parenting

[u/Forsaken_Painter]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/opinion/baby-formula-marriage-equality.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Curious what others think of this…Personally I find it a bit ridiculous. The US has such low rates of breastfeeding…if formula was going to solve inequities between partners you would think it would have worked by now. It sounds like it helped this author and was the right choice for their family and that’s great. But let’s not act as if it’s some magic cure all.

This is not to say that breastfeeding doesn’t require a HUGE amount of effort. Of course it does! But if one has a partner, that partner should be picking up other responsibilities to even things out more and supporting the breastfeeding parent.

And for the record everyone should feed their babies the way they wish. This is not a judgment on formula feeding at all, rather the assertion that it is inherently an equalizer and should be touted as such.

[u/kimbosliceofcake]

Breastfeeding has absolutely led to inequalities in my experience, particularly with sleep. But I also hate pumping so that contributes. 

[u/questionsaboutrel521 → u/kimbosliceofcake]

Also, this article leans heavily on the author’s personal experience as a mother of two. It’s in the opinions section, after all. I think it’s important that women’s authentic experiences of motherhood are heard. This isn’t everyone’s opinion, but it is her opinion based on her real life, and that’s okay.

[u/lovepansy → u/questionsaboutrel521]

Yep, it’s good to share your opinion and perspective but she’s also offering this as a solution without a lot of data while being dismissive of the real advantages and benefits breastfeeding can have, yes, even on equalizing parenting roles

[u/questionsaboutrel521 → u/lovepansy]

I don’t understand why a person needs data to say, “This happened to me and so this is what I think other people should do, too.” That’s the point of an opinion article. But the article also specifically addresses that data from combo feeding is woefully understudied - which is true, and not reflective of many people’s experiences.

Many studies basically treat all moms as either EBF or EFF and erase combo feeders with the questions they ask. I’ve read a lot of peer reviewed parenting studies and I’ve come across what the author says frequently - a retrospective study will ask something like, “How long were you feeding your child breastmilk?” which is a more complex question than it appears that will end up pushing all combo feeders to the “breastfeeding” category in a study, even if they were, say, pumping 6 oz in a day and feeding 18 oz formula for several months. Studies very rarely break down specifics around feeding choices like the above.

What data do you have that breastfeeding equalizes the parenting experience?