A difficult choice

Hollins Martin, CJ

Abstract

Much of my working life has been spent as a
midwife where I gradually became aware of
authority/subordinate relationships within the
workplace. As a practitioner these were part of
everyday working life. It became clear to me that
authority structures impose restrictions within the
working environment that inevitably on occasion inhibit
midwives from providing the woman-centred care that
is directed by social policy documents.1, 2, 3 The rhetoric
of ‘woman-centred care’ is difficult to achieve in a
hierarchy that appoints people to positions of authority.
Once in position, authority has the power to redefine
norms and objectives4, which may conflict with what a
woman wants from her personal birth experience.

Citation

Hollins Martin, C. (2007). A difficult choice. AIMS journal, 19(2), 9-11

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Dec 23, 2011
• Journal: AIMS Journal
• Print ISSN: 1357-9657
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 9-11
• Publisher URL: http://www.aims.org.uk/