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If citizens in a democracy do not organise themselves and learn to help each other, Tocqueville wrote, society cannot really function

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Breastfeeding for democracy

Young mothers in Norway are automatically assigned to a "breastfeeding support group" with other mothers of different ages. The state organises this, but the groups are run by mothers themselves. They call this support system "Ammehjelpen".

Groups like these are a cross-section of society and last a lifetime. The women, who are from different social classes and do not know each other beforehand, help each other not just to breastfeed, but also to find work and organise activities for ...

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Caroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. This column is an edited version of an earlier piece in NRC.

If citizens in a democracy do not organise themselves and learn to help each other, Tocqueville wrote, society cannot really function

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Author Bio

Caroline de Gruyter is a Europe correspondent and columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. This column is an edited version of an earlier piece in NRC.

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