Feminism and Women’s Control over Their Bodies in a Neoliberal Context: A Closer Look at Pregnant Women on Bed Rest

Abstract

Feminist self-identification influences women’s voting practices, perceptions of gender discrimination, and views about their bodies. However, there is little information on how feminist self-identification influences women’s experiences of high-risk pregnancy, if at all. The article focuses on women’s identification with feminism within a neoliberal US context to examine how women make sense of and experience the medical prescription of pregnancy bed rest. Each year, medical professionals prescribe pregnancy bed rest for 700,000 to 1 million women in the United States. On the one hand, women’s overwhelming expectation of control over their bodies and reproduction suggests that they cannot easily be divided into feminist and nonfeminist camps; on the other, preliminary findings from a small-scale qualitative study suggest ways in which feminist identification may affect women’s experiences of pregnancy bed rest. Feminists were more likely to be in an egalitarian relationship that facilitated the redistribution of household chores during bed rest.

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“…Doctors often deny single, LTBTQ, poor, and/or disabled women who wish to become pregnant accesses to IVF. This means when striving for and achieving pregnancy, women can struggle to maintain control over their bodies as physicians decide who gets to become pregnant (Alcade, 2013). In this regard, the culture expects certain women to achieve pregnancy regardless of the financial or medical burden.…”

“…The feminist 2 revolution introduced an alternative discourse of pregnancy. Feminists worked to reclaim pregnancy from an act of subjugation (Stephens, 2004) to one of empowerment (Alcade, 2013;Sevón, 2005). One logic that helped women shift pregnancy from an obligation resulted from increased access to medical contraception and abortion in the late 20 th century (Sevón, 2005).…”

“…This oppressed women who faced infertility (Tsigdinos, 2021). By framing pregnancy as a positive experience (Alcade, 2013;Rúdólfsdóttir, 2000;Warren & Brewis, 2004), the feminist reclamation of pregnancy continued to subjugate women who did not find their pregnancy empowering (Diquinzio, 1999). Additionally, the feminist reclamation continued to frame pregnancy as an experience for and by women, ignoring pregnant individuals who do not identify as women (e.g., seahorse dad).…”

“…Prior to the 1970s, pregnancy and motherhood often relegated women to subordinate positions (Stephens, 2004) and excluded them from the U.S. labor market (Rich, 1995). Feminism 2 worked to reclaim pregnancy from an act of subjugation (Stephens, 2004) to one of empowerment (Alcade, 2013). Increased access to medical contraception and abortion in the late 20 th century helped shift pregnancy from an obligation to a choice (Sevón, 2005).…”

“…Increased access to medical contraception and abortion in the late 20 th century helped shift pregnancy from an obligation to a choice (Sevón, 2005). After choosing pregnancy, some women reported feeling in control of their bodies and reproductive rights, found the process empowering (Alcade, 2013), enjoyed their changing bodies (Warren & Brewis, 2004), and experiencing positive mood changes (Rúdólfsdóttir, 2000).…”