Understanding the social organisation of maternity care systems: midwifery as a touchstone

AbstractTheories 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.

Understanding the social organisation of maternity care systems: midwifery as a touchstone Journal Articles