Hancart Petitet Pascale. (2025). When the traditional midwife is a man : reimagining traditional midwifery in Laos and globally. In :
Davis-Floyd R. (ed.), Daviss B.A. (ed.), Ali I. (ed.). Traditional midwives : cross-cultural perspectives. New York : Routledge, 20 p. ISBN 9781003380160.
Titre du document
When the traditional midwife is a man : reimagining traditional midwifery in Laos and globally
Année de publication
2025
Type de document
Partie d'ouvrage
Auteurs
Hancart Petitet Pascale
In
Davis-Floyd R. (ed.), Daviss B.A. (ed.), Ali I. (ed.) Traditional midwives : cross-cultural perspectives
Source
New York : Routledge, 2025,
20 p. ISBN 9781003380160
In the late 19th century, the WHO made three recommendations based on the belief that
biomedicine could prevent most maternal deaths, one of which was to train traditional
midwives, also known as traditional birth attendants (TBAs). However, after years of debate,
WHO officially discontinued TBA training programs in 2004 (WHO/ICM/FIGO 2004).
While maternal mortality rates have decreased in many places due to the implementation of
capacity-building programs and caregiver training, women in remote rural areas or in
vulnerable settings still rely on traditional midwives. What happens when the traditional
midwife is a man? This chapter aims to investigate the biographical facts and the historical
and social changes that have led some men in Laos, including husbands, to take on the roles
of traditional midwives and to analyze the effects of this appropriation. The reflections
provided in this chapter are based on both long-term engagements with traditional midwives
and on intensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Laos since 2013.
Plan de classement
Médecine [050MEDECI]
;
Sociologie et anthropologie de la santé [056SOCSAN]
;
Famille, planification de la famille [108DEMOG2]
