PhD research spotlights how Muslim breastfeeding mothers experience the workplace

How women experience pregnancy and breastfeeding and manage their return to work after birth remain largely “invisible conversations” in the workplace.

In many instances, employers expect women to simply leave their aching bodies and caring responsibilities at the door and carry on with the business of the day. But these experiences follow them into the workplace and naturally affect how they show up. Féranaaz Farista has always been passionate about the topic, and when she decided to enrol for a PhD in Organisational Psychology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), she dedicated her dissertation to the subject. It’s been a rollercoaster three years – from enrolling for her doctoral degree in 2023 to finally completing her thesis and submitting it in 2025. So, when she qualified for graduation in 2026, Féranaaz felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.

On 9 September, she will slip on her red robe, place her doctoral tam firmly on her head and make her way across the stage in the Sarah Baartman Hall. As she takes that academic walk of fame, she will reflect on the many influences who made this degree a reality. Her supervisors, Professor Ameeta Jagga in the Section of Industrial and Organisational Psychology and Professor Sa’diyya Shaikh in the Department for the Study of Religions, whose support and guidance were immeasurable; her grandparents and extended family whose love and encouragement carried her; and her research participants without whom this work would be impossible. Of course, Féranaaz will also honour her late mother, whose teachings and influence continue to shape how she views the world and builds and holds relationships.

“People often describe a PhD as a marathon. But it’s more like starting a race without quite knowing what race you have signed up for. It could be a half marathon, it could be a full marathon, or could suddenly turn into a triathlon,” she said. “You only really discover what it demands of you as you muddle your way through it.”

A meaningful representation

Féranaaz’s research offers a unique focus: the lived experiences of Muslim breastfeeding mothers, some of whom returned to work after the birth of their children. As a Muslim woman, she said, it was important to see their experiences represented more meaningfully in research.

She documented the experiences of 36 mothers, from the early weeks after giving birth right to their return to work. Participants were between the ages of 25 and 45, were married and had between one and five children. They also worked across various sectors, including healthcare, education, finance and technology and their occupations ranged from administrative and entry-level positions to managerial and executive roles.

“Breastfeeding provides a very visible example of a much bigger question about who our workplaces were designed for, whose needs they recognise, and what forms of labour remain invisible.”

“My research challenges the idea of a disembodied worker – the assumption that when we arrive at work, we can somehow leave our bodies, families, identities and caring responsibilities behind,” Féranaaz said. “I think that is what makes my research particularly interesting. Breastfeeding provides a very visible example of a much bigger question about who our workplaces were designed for, whose needs they recognise, and what forms of labour remain invisible.”

Opposite sides of the spectrum

Féranaaz’s research found that returning to work after giving birth is multifaceted. Breastfeeding mothers need to constantly plan when and where they can express milk, how to store it and what their babies will eat when they get home. Further, managing their changing bodies and coming up with ways to continue being “a good mother” and “a committed employee” add an extra layer of complexity to this difficult process. Sadly, much of the physical, mental and emotional toll all of this takes is completely invisible in the workplace.

In fact, she said, the worlds of work and care operate on opposite sides of the spectrum. Workplaces function according to fixed linear schedules: meetings are scheduled during set times; deadlines are stringent and need to be adhered to; and the working day has set, defined hours.

“But a breastfeeding body and a baby do not necessarily operate according to that clock. So, mothers are constantly trying to make the unpredictable rhythms of care and their bodies fit into workplaces that were not necessarily designed with those realities in mind,” she said.

The manager matters

While South Africa has made progress with supporting new mothers on their return to work, more needs to be done. Currently, Féranaaz said, employer support varies depending on where the woman works, her relationship with her manager and how much flexibility her job allows. Interestingly, workplace policies do not mean mothers feel supported in practice.

“Supporting mothers better requires us to move beyond simply expecting them to fit back into workplaces as though nothing has changed after giving birth,” she said.

And practical things matter. These include having a clean and private in-office space to express and store breastmilk; flexibility regarding working hours, which could include a phased return to work; and managers who proactively engage in conversations with their colleagues about what they need rather than waiting “for them to struggle or ask”.

The role of religion

What’s interesting, Féranaaz pointed out, is the complex role that religion played in mothers’ overall experiences. For many mothers, religion was an important source of meaning and motivation for breastfeeding and motherhood, and religious practices and expectations around modesty, caregiving and motherhood created additional considerations when they returned to work.

Interestingly, she said, her research also found that there was no single “Muslim experience”. Instead, women understood and practised their faith differently. These differences also influenced how they approached breastfeeding, work and motherhood.

“This was important to me because Muslim women are often spoken about as though they are a homogenous group. My research shows their agency, diversity and the different ways women interpret, negotiate and draw on religion to make decisions in their own lives,” she said.

Exhaling with pride

As Féranaaz looks back on the past three years, she can exhale with pride. She reached the finish line with her nerves intact and produced meaningful research in the process.

She maintains that all of it would be impossible without her village. After all, completing a PhD can be an isolating experience. But working as a full-time lecturer in the Section of Industrial and Organisational Psychology and teaching her students gave meaning to the difficult days. In addition, she said, the university’s Accelerated Transformation of the Academic Programme – an initiative designed to build a pipeline of black South African academics – provided a sense of community and a space to connect with emerging scholars who could relate to her experiences.

“This degree challenged me; it stretched me and taught me an enormous amount about myself.”

“Perhaps the strangest part is reaching the end and realising that you are done. I genuinely feel that the person who started the PhD in 2023 is not quite the same person who finished it. This degree challenged me; it stretched me and taught me an enormous amount about myself on both a personal and academic level,” she said. “I’m grateful for that experience.”

Where to from here? Well, the research never stops and if an associate professor title is in the pipeline in the next couple of years, then Féranaaz must keep going. And how can she not? Her research brings her joy and spotlights an important, overlooked community – it’s a win-win situation.