Men as Midwifery Professionals: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Maternal and Child Health
• Gender Studies in Healthcare

Background:

• Midwives are crucial for perinatal care, promoting health and preventing mortality.
• Historically a female-dominated profession, male midwifery is growing to address workforce shortages.
• Emerging research necessitates understanding male midwives' contributions and experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize key findings on the growing global male midwifery workforce.
• To evaluate publication trends (temporal and geographic) concerning male midwives.
• To explore male midwives' training and work experiences.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review of peer-reviewed articles from Semantic Scholar and Google Scholar.
• Keywords included "gender," "male," "men," "midwifery," and "nurse midwives."
• Included primary research from 2000-2023, focusing on male midwives' experiences; excluded female-only or non-midwifery studies.

Main Results:

• 26 articles published between 2011-2023, with 65% from the African region.
• Male midwifery students in some regions faced challenging training due to sociocultural factors.
• Birthing persons showed preference for female midwives, yet some clients desired gender equity; male midwives faced prejudice but remained dedicated.

Conclusions:

• Male midwives are vital for reducing maternal and infant mortality.
• Equitable training, cultural sensitivity, and mentorship are crucial for male midwives' career sustainability.
• Addressing challenges faced by male midwives can enhance maternal and infant health outcomes.