Ways of knowing in midwifery

Scientific ways of knowing dominate our society today and this has major ramifications for midwifery. This article outlines the historical development and cultural understanding of ways of knowing in our society today. It is suggested that the patriarchal societies in which our ways of knowing have developed have emphasised scientific ways of knowing while other ways such as intuition and embodied knowledge received little acknowledgement. This article then goes on to explore these other ways of knowing, discusses their implications for midwifery care and suggests that to embrace many and varied ways of knowing is to more fully realise our abilities and potential as midwives.