Obstetric Violence Awareness and Advocacy: Identifying Gender Based Violence in Maternity

Category

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences > Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies > Women Studies

Received

February 26, 2024

Accepted

September 12, 2024

Published

April 1, 2025

Authors

Lillian E. Shaw, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Authors

Lillian E. Shaw (LES)¹*

Author Affiliations

¹Department of Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.

Corresponding Author

*Lillian Shaw, shawl8@unlv.nevada.edu

DOI

https://doi.org/10.9741/2766-7227.1032

Author Contributions

LES: Author gathered primary sources and secondary sources, analyzed each source, drafted the paper, edited the manuscript.

Copyright

Articles in Spectra are freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly cited.

Data Availability Statement

The author of this article confirms that all included sources are fully available without restrictions.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares that no conflicts of interest exist.

Ethical Considerations

This study involved diligent analysis of written works from the present and the past. Thus, no animal or human subjects were used.

Funding

This study was funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Abstract

Recent trends of the excess of medical intervention during childbirth, particularly in uncomplicated births, along with an alarming spread of coercive and abusive practices towards women during childbirth requires immediate attention. This paper serves to address and bring awareness to the existence and extent of a form of gender-based violence, referred to as obstetric violence. The following in-depth literature review of 25 publications explores obstetric violence from various perspectives. In the discussion, I define the concept of obstetric violence and its forms of occurrence in care, examine conceptions and institutions which aid in the maintenance of the issue, suggest strategies for the potential elimination of obstetric violence, and propose future interviews with recent mothers and medical staff to further understand the implications of obstetric violence. Obstetric violence is a violation of human rights and a public health problem and demands global recognition and action.

Keywords

obstetric violence, human rights, gender-based violence, childbirth, midwifery, maternity care, woman-centered care

Submission Type

Primary research article

Recommended Citation

Shaw, L. (2025). Obstetric Violence Awareness and Advocacy: Identifying Gender Based Violence in Maternity Care. Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal, 4(1), 16-32. https://doi.org/10.9741/2766-7227.1032