(En)Gendering the word ‘midwife’: semantics, etymology and orientations

Pendleton, John

doi:10.1080/09589236.2021.1952406

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Pendleton (2022:560) argues that "despite artefacts proving the existence of midwives over 8000 years ago, no word existed in any language to signify a male midwife as it was widely understood as an occupation exclusively performed by women for women…until the 16 th century". Pendleton's (2022) argument shows that the idea broadening of the meaning of the word 'midwife' to include males has not always been the case. That trend began to take effect in the 16 th century.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Literary Etymologies of The Ewe Names of Some Fruits

Amenorvi

Diaba

2023

AJAR

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Purpose: This study seeks to employ the theory of literary etymology to investigate the Ewe names of ten fruits. Design/Methodology/Approach: A purposive sample of ten descriptive Ewe fruit names was adopted for the study because literary etymology favours descriptive names and ten is large enough for phenomenological studies such as this one. The names were analysed against the nine analytical criteria of literary etymology. Findings: Findings reveal novel, informative and interesting nuances behind each name and show that conscious reflection rather than random arbitrariness informs the giving of these names. Research Limitation/ Implication: The theoretical framework of literary etymology employed in investigating the names in this study can only be used to analyse descriptive names, like the ones chosen for this study. Practical Implications: The importance of this study is that it allows one to acquire relevant information such as the history behind the names, evidence-based reflection, creativity, and comprehension of the deep meanings behind these common everyday fruit names that could be taken as ordinary names with nothing worth discovering. Finally, the study demonstrates that literary etymology can be used to examine common nouns such as fruit names. Social Implications: Findings of this study have shown that even everyday words are loaded with meaning and understanding these deeper meanings will improve our social and communicative skills. Originality/Value/ Novelty: This study is but one of the very few that has employed the theory of literary etymology to investigate common names and proves its versatility as a framework to analyse all types of names.

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Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Literary Etymologies of The Ewe Names of Some Fruits

Amenorvi

Diaba

2023

AJAR

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“…Terms such as “non-males” or “non-men” may be used to denote women. “Maternity” ( 52 ), “maternal” ( 53 ), “midwife” ( 54 ), and “breastfeeding” ( 52 ) have also become contentious terms.…”

Section: How Is Language Being Changed?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contrasting with the either/or of replacing sexed words, it is sometimes proposed to use both/and words. So, rather than referring to "women" or "mothers", one might say "women and birthing people, " "women and other birthing people, " or "mothers and parents, " a strategy commonly described as "additive language" (54). Text may also be constructed so that "women, " "mothers" or an alternative to these terms are all avoided.…”

Section: Sexed Terms Replacement Desexed Termsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective Communication About Pregnancy, Birth, Lactation, Breastfeeding and Newborn Care: The Importance of Sexed Language

Gribble

Bewley

Bartick

et al. 2022

Front. Glob. Womens Health

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“…Midwifery’s raison d’etre has, therefore, traditionally been understood as assisting childbearing women. The midwifery profession itself is one of the last almost mono-gendered professions in which the gendered term midwife is now considered to be limited in its ability to include people of all genders and none (Pendleton 2022). Midwives along with nurses may also be given highly gendered titles such as “Matron” or “Sister” in this context.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“Maternity” care has been theorized from feminist perspectives, as “woman-centered” care, focusing on women’s choice and autonomy in relation to how and where they give birth (Stewart 2004). Midwifery’s traditional focus on “mothers,” “women’s health,” and the related gendered language used in such services may be seen as presenting a challenge for some gender-diverse clients, calling into question the place of trans men and nonbinary people within such services (Pendleton 2022). Meanwhile, attempts by health professional bodies to incorporate more inclusive language (as this paper does by using such terms as perinatal care as an alternative to maternal/maternity care ) have been framed by some as “erasing women” (e.g., Guzman 2021).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Perinatal Care for Trans and Nonbinary People Birthing in Heteronormative “Maternity” Services: Experiences and Educational Needs of Professionals

Pezaro

Crowther²,

Pearce³

et al. 2022

Gender & Society

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Childbearing trans and nonbinary people are confronted with the heteronormative and cisgender frameworks that underpin “maternity” services. We explored the educational needs of 108 perinatal staff in the United Kingdom as related to the needs of trans and nonbinary service users. Participants were most confident in formulating care plans and least confident about the provision of colleagues’ perinatal care in this context. While the majority of participants were positive toward the trans and nonbinary communities, they considered that those communities remain marginalized in perinatal services. Transphobic, anti-trans, and nonbinary attitudes were highlighted by our respondents. Our findings suggest that caregivers witnessed transphobia among colleagues and were apprehensive themselves about providing care to childbearing trans and nonbinary people. They reported a cisheteronormative model of care that lacked awareness of trans and nonbinary issues. The educational needs identified included information about the practicalities of childbearing as a trans or nonbinary person, how to use inclusive language effectively, and creating policies and processes for supporting childbearing trans and nonbinary people. These caregivers’ preferences included hearing from trans and nonbinary people and sharing best practices among themselves, with open discussions about how to be inclusive.

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(En)Gendering the word ‘midwife’: semantics, etymology and orientations

Cited by 8 publications

References 31 publications

Literary Etymologies of The Ewe Names of Some Fruits

Literary Etymologies of The Ewe Names of Some Fruits

Effective Communication About Pregnancy, Birth, Lactation, Breastfeeding and Newborn Care: The Importance of Sexed Language

Perinatal Care for Trans and Nonbinary People Birthing in Heteronormative “Maternity” Services: Experiences and Educational Needs of Professionals

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