Women's health and social change: the case of lay midwives

One reaction to the medicalization of birth has been the comeback of lay midwives in the past 10 years. While many practice alone as did midwives 80 years ago, now midwives are networking and organizing in regional and statewide groups, an important new distinction in the light of increasing regulatory policy formation by many states. Are these groups the beginnings of traditional bureaucratic health professional organizations or are they better described as alternative women's health groups that espouse nonhierarchical philosophies of women's health? In this article, we describe an empirical study of one such group, the Michigan Midwives' Association, and explore the philosophies and practices of individual members as well as the internal organization of the group and its influence on members. Data were collected using individual telephone interviews with 48 of 50 members, group newsletters and documents, and two spokespersons who developed an oral history of the Association since its origin in 1978. Results suggest that the group plays an important role in reinforcing individually held philosophies about women-controlled birth and in providing social support to health workers practicing outside the traditional system.