Abstract
Theories 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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 722-737 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Sociology of Health & Illness |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2005 |
Keywords
- cross-national comparison
- maternity care system
- midwifery
- welfare state
- inter-professional interests
- citizen's relations
- service users
- HEALTH-CARE
- SOCIOLOGY
- BOUNDARY
- FINLAND
- WORK
Cite this
Understanding the social organisation of maternity care systems: Midwifery as a Touchstone. / Benoit, C.; Wrede, S.; Bourgeault, I.; Sandall, J.; DeVries, R.; Van Teijlingen, Edwin Roland.
In: Sociology of Health & Illness, Vol. 27, No. 6, 2005, p. 722-737.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding the social organisation of maternity care systems: Midwifery as a Touchstone
AU - Benoit, C.
AU - Wrede, S.
AU - Bourgeault, I.
AU - Sandall, J.
AU - DeVries, R.
AU - Van Teijlingen, Edwin Roland
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - Theories 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.
AB - Theories 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.
KW - cross-national comparison
KW - maternity care system
KW - midwifery
KW - welfare state
KW - inter-professional interests
KW - citizen's relations
KW - service users
KW - HEALTH-CARE
KW - SOCIOLOGY
KW - BOUNDARY
KW - FINLAND
KW - WORK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2005.00471.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2005.00471.x
M3 - Article
VL - 27
SP - 722
EP - 737
JO - Sociology of Health & Illness
JF - Sociology of Health & Illness
SN - 0141-9889
IS - 6
ER -