Following a nearly three-year cessation from conferences and events in most industries due to the pandemic, events are back in a big way. As organizers begin crafting new events, there is an increased focus on inclusivity and accessibility for nursing mothers, largely due to the new Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act, which went into effect in April 2023. 

An extension of the Break Time for Nursing Mothers Act of 2010, the PUMP Act mandates employers to provide reasonable break times and private space for breastfeeding employees to pump during the day. Action on the PUMP Act by employers is being expanded into conference and event spaces, and for good reason. Although men still outnumber women in conference attendance and speaking slots, recent pushes in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have made providing accommodations like those outlined in the PUMP Act imperative for many event and conference organizers. 

Removing Barriers to Attendance and Participation

During the pandemic, the event and conference space saw a marked increase in the attendance of women at virtual events over and above the in-person events held pre-pandemic. Part of the reason for this uptick in female attendance at virtual events was the level of safety and comfort they provided. Many mothers may find it challenging to leave home for a long period of time to attend a conference — especially for those who are breastfeeding. If given a safe, secure and private place to pump, it can help clear some of the hurdles these women have standing in the way of attendance. 

Many conference spaces do not currently offer private lactation areas for pumping, but at the insistence of the PUMP Act, coordinators of events and conferences will likely see a quick return on their investment in providing comfortable and private locations for pumping. If a woman does not need to return to her hotel room to pump, or forgo the conference altogether, she will be more likely to spend more time — and money — on attendance. This is a win-win for both the event coordinators and the attendee. 

One of the biggest challenges pumping mothers have faced in the past is being forced into communal bathrooms to pump, which may not always be sanitary or comfortable. For this reason, lactation rooms should be private spaces, apart from restrooms. Any windows into the area should be covered, and as an extra inclusive step, additional space should be reserved at the conference location for breast milk storage in the form of a secure refrigerator in the lactation rooms. The reserved space should also include a sink so the nursing mother can wash her hands and pumping supplies after she is finished pumping.

Bridging the Gap

With clean and accessible lactation stations at work events like conferences, women can continue to level the professional career field with men. These spaces will allow nursing mothers to feel more comfortable attending and accepting speaking positions at the conferences, staying longer and obtaining all of the same benefits male attendees do without worry.

By installing these stations at events, event organizers will be able to create additional economic benefits for themselves as well as social benefits for their attendees. Events that provide clean and accessible lactation stations will not only be more likely to receive an influx of attendees who otherwise wouldn’t purchase tickets, but can also use this as an opportunity to educate other clients on the new legal obligations set forth by the PUMP Act.

Moreover, many event organizers will need to follow those new obligations themselves. Because the PUMP Act obligates any employer with more than 50 employees to provide safe, clean and private lactation spaces — as well as break times for pumping — many organizers will need to adjust their own corporate offices to meet these new regulations for their own employees. Those adjustments can then easily be transferred to the spaces they use to host events, allowing breastfeeding or pumping attendees to receive the same benefit.

Working mothers make up a large portion of the workforce, yet the choices they are often forced to make in their careers have stood in the way of equity in the workplace. By giving working mothers the ability to continue to choose breastfeeding and/or pumping and still attend important work-related events, we are getting closer as a nation to equitable work environments. 

Improved Morale

When women are given access to pump at events like work conferences, their overall view of their job, career trajectory and work/life balance is bound to improve. The more satisfied women are with their positions, the more productive they are likely to be for their employers. 

On the heels of the Great Resignation, women are seeking roles with better benefits that extend beyond health insurance or a 401K. They want an understanding that women can be productive attendees or speakers at an event and a mother as well. These are not mutually exclusive roles. 

Event and conference coordinators should consider offering lactation stations as a competitive advantage. The conferences they hold that offer this benefit will be more attractive to modern companies and the breastfeeding mothers they employ. 

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