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Birth in Power, Case study of homebirth in France and its link to sustainability

Artus, Gabrielle LU (2022) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20221
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
If homebirth can offer better outcomes than hospital-birth why do so few French women make this choice? The literature review on birth in France shows an increasing critique of overmedicalization. Through an Ecofeminist approach, conducting a qualitative questionnaire and interviews I found women choosing homebirth seek intimacy, respect and to avoid fear-based protocols and hospitals' violence. Women who experienced homebirth tend to embrace 'nature' and their animality, not seeing it as oppressing but empowering. Homebirth and my respondents lie within Ecofeminism and its notion of reclaiming. Reclaiming one's body, one's sovereignty, one's animality. Homebirth can be seen as both a consequence and source of questioning Western modern... (More)
If homebirth can offer better outcomes than hospital-birth why do so few French women make this choice? The literature review on birth in France shows an increasing critique of overmedicalization. Through an Ecofeminist approach, conducting a qualitative questionnaire and interviews I found women choosing homebirth seek intimacy, respect and to avoid fear-based protocols and hospitals' violence. Women who experienced homebirth tend to embrace 'nature' and their animality, not seeing it as oppressing but empowering. Homebirth and my respondents lie within Ecofeminism and its notion of reclaiming. Reclaiming one's body, one's sovereignty, one's animality. Homebirth can be seen as both a consequence and source of questioning Western modern ways resulting in a turn to more sustainable practices, relevant to sustainability science. Interviewees linked homebirth to sustainability, believing that changing how babies are born is one step towards changing the world by caring for more empathetic humans who will care for the Earth. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Artus, Gabrielle LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Homebirth, Ecofeminism, Empowerment, Nature, Animality, Sustainability Science
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2022:043
language
English
id
9087080
date added to LUP
2022-06-13 09:24:19
date last changed
2022-06-13 09:24:19
@misc{9087080,
  abstract     = {{If homebirth can offer better outcomes than hospital-birth why do so few French women make this choice? The literature review on birth in France shows an increasing critique of overmedicalization. Through an Ecofeminist approach, conducting a qualitative questionnaire and interviews I found women choosing homebirth seek intimacy, respect and to avoid fear-based protocols and hospitals' violence. Women who experienced homebirth tend to embrace 'nature' and their animality, not seeing it as oppressing but empowering. Homebirth and my respondents lie within Ecofeminism and its notion of reclaiming. Reclaiming one's body, one's sovereignty, one's animality. Homebirth can be seen as both a consequence and source of questioning Western modern ways resulting in a turn to more sustainable practices, relevant to sustainability science. Interviewees linked homebirth to sustainability, believing that changing how babies are born is one step towards changing the world by caring for more empathetic humans who will care for the Earth.}},
  author       = {{Artus, Gabrielle}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Birth in Power, Case study of homebirth in France and its link to sustainability}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}