Does the gender of your midwife matter?

The stereotypes associated with male midwives have existed for decades, but does that matter to women today?

How would you feel about a male midwife? Credit: Karen Beate Nøsterud via Wikimedia Commons

The practice of midwifery has been associated with females for centuries. Up until 1975, midwifery was a female dominated profession with trained midwives themselves being against the idea that men should practice the profession. It was only until opposition from the Royal College of Midwives in the 1970s which helped change the law.

The word ‘midwife’ itself derived from Middle English and described the relationship between two women during childbirth. The literal meaning of the word inadvertently disassociates men from the profession. Perhaps it is the label of being a ‘midwife’ that means men refrain from pursuing the career. So is it impossible to avoid this stereotype?

Up until the 1970s, midwifery was a female dominated profession. Credit: Suzanne M. Day via Wikimedia Commons

Experienced midwife Juan Soria says, “we must do more to encourage as many people as possible to regardless of gender to take up medical professions”. And with the NHS ‘dangerously understaffed’ according to a report published last year by the BBC, midwives regardless of their gender are becoming increasingly vital.

Online forum mumsnet gives women the opportunity to anonymously document their thoughts about male midwives and most of the experiences are largely positive.

And when Linda Filipi gave birth to her second child with the “outstanding” help of a male midwife, she says she was, “in so much pain, she didn’t even have time to process the thought that a male midwife was unusual.” “The hospital was so busy; I was just happy to have someone that could help whenever I needed,” Linda says.

People will be understandably uncomfortable with things they deem unnatural – but as more women shift towards jobs that were once considered male dominated, it is up to men to do the same.