Understanding the social organisation of maternity care systems: midwifery as a touchstone.
Theories of professions and healthcare organisation have difficulty in explaining variation in the organisation of maternity services across developed welfare states. Four countries - the United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands and Canada - serve as our case examples. While sharing several features, including political and economic systems, publicly-funded universal healthcare and favourable health outcomes, these countries nevertheless have distinct maternity care systems. We use the profession of midwifery, found in all four countries, as a 'touchstone' for exploring the sources of this diversity. Our analysis focuses on three key dimensions: (1) welfare state approaches to legalising midwifery and negotiating the role of the midwife in the division of labour; (2) professional boundaries in the maternity care domain; and (3) consumer mobilisation in support of midwifery and around maternity issues.
Benoit
Cecilia
C
Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, Canada. cbenoit@uvic.ca
Wrede
Sirpa
S
Bourgeault
Ivy
I
Sandall
Jane
J
De Vries
Raymond
R
van Teijlingen
Edwin R
ER
D002170:Canada; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008880:Midwifery / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D013222:State Medicine; D014481:United States