gms | German Medical Science

Background: There are persistent problems in maternity care, such as mismanagement, lack of collaboration among professionals involved in maternity care and obstetric violence. Feminism opens a promising perspective for viewing these challenges not only as isolated problems of health care but also as outcomes of structural social dynamics. By applying feminist approaches, profound insights could be gained into how gender inequalities and power relations influence maternity care and how these insights could contribute to sustainable improvements in practices.

Objective/question: To what extent can the feminist perspective enhance the field of midwifery science?

Methodology: Conforming to the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review will be conducted across three databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL including snowballing. Articles containing the term feminis* and terms related to midwifery in the title or abstract will be searched.

The included studies are examined with regard to the following questions:

1.

What definition of feminism is pursued and what theoretical references are made?

2.

What relation does the research question have to feminism?

3.

What methodology is used and how does it relate to feminism?

4.

What added value could the feminist perspective provide to the study?

Results: The results of the literature research are presented on the basis of the outlined questions. First intermediate results show:

1.

Different definitions and theoretical references are applied.

2.

Thematic relations are set to a) traditional role models, b) freedom/self-responsibility of women, c) current problems as well as d) the role of the midwife in this.

3.

The studies mainly use qualitative methods, this shows the relation to understanding and explaining.

Discussion: The interim findings identified highlight the broad scope and diversity of perspectives that feminism can bring to maternity care.

Relevance: The findings could not only help us better understand problems in maternity care, but also provide innovative and sustainable approaches to address these challenges

Recommendations/conclusion: The thematic connections demonstrate the potential of a feminist perspective. Despite the benefits, critical examination of the challenges of the feminist perspective is essential. Alternative perspectives could also offer benefits. This underscores the relevance of further in-depth study.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: A vote on ethics was not necessary. The research was financed by own resources. There are no conflicts of interest.