Rethinking the Anthropology of Birth : Regarding the Decision Making Process in Selecting the Delivery Method for Childbirth

Abstract

What process do people go through when selecting a method of childbirth? This paper aims to provide a useful framework to analyze this process. Childbirth is a vital and eternal component of the human race and its continuity. However, since childbirth was not studied from within until the advent of female anthropologists, no systematic methodology has yet been established to study the phenomena up to the present. With this in mind, further effort and research are required to explore the appropriate framework for the study of childbirth in the future. In this paper, after considering previous research, I examine three problematic issues regarding previous studies in this field. The preceding research: l) was based on a dichotomy between two conceptual frameworks such as "modern medicine" vs. "traditional medicine" or "medical care" vs. "nature", 2) lacked a thorough analysis of the individual's process of selection of a means of childbirth, and 3) related the criteria for selection to social ideologies. To be more specific, previous research conducted by feminists covering the developed countries concluded that those who choose "a natural birth" are spontaneous and the remainder, opting for "a hospital birth", are entrenched in patriarchal ideology and display characteristics that reflect the supremacy of technology. On the other hand, research covering developing countries describes a heartwarming system of traditional birth that has been lost in developed countries and encourages the adoption of these traditional methods to those who would normally favour modern birth methods. At the same time, they also reveal the reality of women who have no voice under the system of patriarchy and, against their will, are left unable to utilise modern medicine; these are miserable uneducated figures who have no ability to make decisions and are resigned in the end to accept male decisions. The researchers, hence, note the need for improvement in women' s social status and refer to their need for education, which would cultivate independent minds. As described above, the problem of selecting a method of birth was always arbitrarily connected with the ideology of the relevant society on the basis of a dichotomy between "modern medicine" vs. "traditional medicine" or "medical care" vs. "nature" in preceding studies. Contrary to this, in my paper, I present a new framework to examine and analyse the question of how the value of various actors and women interact to finally result in a decision in the selection of a childbirth method. For the moment, I will refer to the situation in which related actors feel the need to implement special procedures for childbirth as an "incident". Every actor has his or her own understanding and method for controlling the incident based on individual cultural values. My paper therefore attempts to clarify the structure of this selection system by examining how every actor perceives the incident, seeks a means to counter it and finally makes a decision on a childbirth method.