Title
An Historical Overview of Midwifery in the United States
Document Type
Article
Keywords
history; women; United States; midwifery; midwives
Identifier Data
https://birthpsychology.com/journal/article/historical-overview-midwifery-united-states
Publisher
Association for Pre-and Perinatal Psychology and Health
Publication Source
Journal of Pre- and Perinatal Psychology, 5(1), 5-22
Abstract
This article provides an historical overview of the history of midwives in the United States from the seventeenth century to the present. Brief background information on the period prior to 1600 is included. The article shows how a profession that was traditionally considered to be "women's business" came to be dominated by a predominately male medical establishment. Special attention is given to the early twentieth-century "midwife debate." The origins of nurse-midwifery and the major factors which have contributed to the recent midwidfery renaissance are also considered.
