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“Shut up and push”: A critical discourse analysis of obstetric violence in online news media in Argentina through a cuerpo territorio (body-territory) lens

Elderfield, Emily LU (2025) MIDM19 20241
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Department of Human Geography
Abstract
Obstetric violence, also known as mistreatment or abuse during childbirth, is gaining recognition in the reproductive justice and global health arenas. Research to date has underscored its global prevalence, long-lasting impacts on individuals, and contributing forms of structural and gendered violence. However, attention is lacking on how discourses about obstetric violence are constructed and disseminated. This study employs a critical discourse analysis of 59 news articles in mainstream media in Argentina, published between 2021-2022. The analysis is conducted through a cuerpo-territorio (body-territory) lens to elucidate the relationship between power structures and feminised labouring bodies. The analysis finds two concurrent... (More)
Obstetric violence, also known as mistreatment or abuse during childbirth, is gaining recognition in the reproductive justice and global health arenas. Research to date has underscored its global prevalence, long-lasting impacts on individuals, and contributing forms of structural and gendered violence. However, attention is lacking on how discourses about obstetric violence are constructed and disseminated. This study employs a critical discourse analysis of 59 news articles in mainstream media in Argentina, published between 2021-2022. The analysis is conducted through a cuerpo-territorio (body-territory) lens to elucidate the relationship between power structures and feminised labouring bodies. The analysis finds two concurrent discourses on obstetric violence: a politicising discourse and a depoliticising discourse. The politicising discourse relies on discursive strategies of contestation and humanisation, positioning obstetric violence within sociocultural patterns of violence and underscoring solutions within and beyond the maternal health sphere. In contrast, the depoliticising discourse uses strategies of depersonalisation and homogenisation, framing obstetric violence as a quality-of-care issue that can be addressed through informing women and healthcare providers about rights in childbirth. These findings strengthen understanding of the role of media in public perceptions of obstetric violence and highlight the need for contextually grounded approaches to ending institutional violence against women. (Less)
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author
Elderfield, Emily LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
obstetric violence, mistreatment and abuse in childbirth, media discourses of gender-based violence, institutional violence, cuerpo-territorio, body-territory
language
English
id
9211784
date added to LUP
2025-10-14 15:55:49
date last changed
2025-10-14 15:55:49
@misc{9211784,
  abstract     = {{Obstetric violence, also known as mistreatment or abuse during childbirth, is gaining recognition in the reproductive justice and global health arenas. Research to date has underscored its global prevalence, long-lasting impacts on individuals, and contributing forms of structural and gendered violence. However, attention is lacking on how discourses about obstetric violence are constructed and disseminated. This study employs a critical discourse analysis of 59 news articles in mainstream media in Argentina, published between 2021-2022. The analysis is conducted through a cuerpo-territorio (body-territory) lens to elucidate the relationship between power structures and feminised labouring bodies. The analysis finds two concurrent discourses on obstetric violence: a politicising discourse and a depoliticising discourse. The politicising discourse relies on discursive strategies of contestation and humanisation, positioning obstetric violence within sociocultural patterns of violence and underscoring solutions within and beyond the maternal health sphere. In contrast, the depoliticising discourse uses strategies of depersonalisation and homogenisation, framing obstetric violence as a quality-of-care issue that can be addressed through informing women and healthcare providers about rights in childbirth. These findings strengthen understanding of the role of media in public perceptions of obstetric violence and highlight the need for contextually grounded approaches to ending institutional violence against women.}},
  author       = {{Elderfield, Emily}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{“Shut up and push”: A critical discourse analysis of obstetric violence in online news media in Argentina through a cuerpo territorio (body-territory) lens}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}