Wednesday 4 January 2012

Strong women not good girls

Just wanted to have a moan about a little thing (or maybe it's the tip of a very big one!) ...but its bugged me for years. In fact since I was a student midwife a very long time ago and I noticed one particular midwife saying it. And I would say that midwives say it most, less so doctors, and that it tends to pop up in the second stage of labour.

Telling women that they are '...good girls'. I cringe inwardly and then want to scream and shout at same time. I think it's rude, patronising and infantilizes women.

So why is it said to women when they are doing one of the most strong, grown-up things in their lives?

Power and control may have a lot to do with it. Also the culture of birth, the labour ward etc. Or maybe it's just that as professionals we forget what messages our language conveys and we need to pay attention to it more.

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