The Professionalization of Childbirth in America

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of medical professionalization in an American definition of childbirth. Using sociological theories, it articulates the connection between the construction of a profession and the establishment of power relations within a professional setting, by specifically looking towards the medical model of childbirth. Through the dissection of the construction of power and authority, this paper hopes to elicit the problems inherent in viewing birth as a medical event and begins to formulate a path to a transformation in current birthing practices in America.