Time to get rid of the word 'midwife'?

[LadyCrazyCatLady]

I've received communication from my NHS trust today regarding a new service that they're offering for 'birthing people' and throughout the email they use the words 'birthing people' and 'pregnant people'.

I'm a fan of inclusive language, but don't find 'birthing people' inclusive as it seems to reduce women to a function of their bodies. You'd never refer to 'defecating people' when describing colorectal services. I think I'd be more OK with "women and people who are pregnant".

Anyway, it got me thinking, if we're no longer using the term 'women' at all, maybe we also need to re-name the job title of midwife, meaning "with-woman"...

why are you fan of inclusive language ? This is what it does
reduces women to functions
Birthing people is a clumsy phrase
Only women can give birth - maternity services are for women

This

The day they say I’m not a midwife is the day I write to the NMC to rescind my registration.

Oh do give over

Birthing people isn’t really accurate. Many midwives don’t actually deal with the birth itself. Including mental health midwives.

Also let’s face it, very rare to find a male midwife.

I agree it reduces women to a function of their body. The only people who can birth are those that have uterus's and the only people that have uterus's are female.

I fear if we start going down the road of changing the title "midwives" then it's just opening a whole can of worms...any title with a gender in it will be banned...it's ridiculous.

I don’t understand why they don’t just use ‘Female’

This inclusive woke crap is like an ink stain, spreading out and ruining everything it touches.

It's midwife and if they change it, whilst I will never actually encounter a midwife again I shall forever refuse to use any other term but midwife should the subject ever arise in conversation.

Midwife
Women
Mothers

All are fine and inclusive of those who have limited literacy or speak English as an additional language.

I'm a fan of inclusive language where possible as I wouldn't want to cause suffering to someone who was battling with their own identity or cause them not to seek out appropriate care during pregnancy i.e someone who identified as non-binary or identifying as a trans man.

I think we have a rich language and should be able to come up with terms that include this very small group of people, without reducing women to their biological functions. I see nothing wrong with "women and other people who are pregnant", however am interested to hear the feminist argument against this.

The getting rid of the term 'midwife' was tongue-in-cheek as I don't think we should get rid of that term or indeed the term 'woman' as the maternity service at my NHS trust seems to be doing.

I actually don't find the word 'drag queen' very inclusive. It should be changed to "penis haver with cheap wig and contouring brush".

I remember hearing not long ago the origin of the term midwife. 'Mid' means 'with' and 'wife' refers to woman. So literally 'with woman'. It also means that a man can legitimately be called a 'midwife' in the profession as he is 'with women'. I did a quick Google and it confirmed this but I couldn't add a link.

@FKATondelayo you make a good point about language needing to be understandable by people with English as a second language and those with any reason to have literacy/understanding difficulties, in order for it to be inclusive.

Only if medical staff for male issues go first. Urologists can become “bum hole inspectors”. Totally inclusive language as we all have a bum hole. I’m guessing you would take issue with the more accurate term “penis prober” as someone will exist whose penis currently identifies as a vagina.

@LadyCrazyCatLady

From Middle English / German

mid "with" + wif "woman"

Midwife = With woman

What about Maternity? Mater= mother....

Another one we can't have if "woman/women" are not OK - gynaecologist. Will need to visit the cervix-inspector.

Quite. We should change vasectomy to lass-ectomy to be inclusive of transwomen.

Only women can get pregnant. That's it. No more explanation needed. We shouldn't be putting up with any of it. They can fuck right off with this nonsense. Enough.

Good point @PuttingDownRoots

Now, obviously I don't actually think midwife/maternity/gynaecology should go. I think however that it's absurd to send out an email saying "Midwives can refer 'birthing people' to the new maternity service". There's literally reference to women (in midwife) and mother (in maternity), but the word "woman" has been replaced.

If “midwife” means “with woman” and we’re not allowed to refer to people giving birth as “women” anymore then you’re right OP that the profession will need to change name. But hopefully either the comms team at your local trust will do a u-turn before that ridiculousness occurs. Or hell freezes over. One of the two.

I don’t even care if they say “women and other people giving birth”… whatever, as long as the word “woman” is there.

(But in an ideal world I’d much prefer these “women” who don’t identify as being a “woman” can find a place to be whoever they are whilst realising that doesn’t stop them being a woman. Not one size fits all.)

Name and shame the trust?

The day I’m no longer a midwife is the day I hand my resignation in. Being with woman is important to me, it’s why I chose this career. Let’s face it no-one does it for the pay! If they take that away also that will be the final straw for me and I suspect many others.

But it's not inclusive. It's reductive language. It makes the default human a male in all situations except where they perform sexual reproduction.

Gender neutral language actually ends up being to the detriment of women. It makes them more likely to become invisible.

Nope
if someone is suffering with their identity of being a woman then why are they have a baby? The most female and powerful thing a female body is capable of ?

I am not a birthing person
a chest feeder
a cis woman

i am a Woman - adult human female

the above terms cause me upset

Missing the point entirely, but isn't this a proctologist? Urologist = urethra inspector 🤷‍♀️

And no, it's women. Maternity services for women. Females.