The Masculinisation of the Birth Environment

This article offers a historical account of the changes in birth that the
author reflects on after decades as a practicing obstetrician. In preliterate and preagricultural societies, women used to isolate themselves to give birth. It seems that at
that phase of the history of humanity the only person who could be around was the
mother of the parturient, an ant, or another experienced mother. Then, for thousands
of years, childbirth has been more and more socialized and culturally controlled. During
this long period the birth environment remained mostly feminine. It is only after the
middle of the twentieth century that several factors made the environment more and
more masculine. First, more and more specialised doctors were trained and, in many
countries, most of them were men. Then, suddenly, the doctrine of the participation of
the father spread out in most industrialized countries. At the same time many
sophisticated electronic machines were introduced in the birthing place (technology
being a male symbol). The main question being posed: Is this masculinisation of the
birth environment the main factor why today, at a planetary level, the number of
women who deliver babies and placentas thanks only to the release of natural
hormones (i.e. a ‘cocktail of love hormones’) is approaching zero? Dr. Odent suggests
that the answer to this dilemma is to focus on a better understanding of the
This article offers a historical account of the changes in birth that the
author reflects on after decades as a practicing obstetrician. In preliterate and preagricultural societies, women used to isolate themselves to give birth. It seems that at
that phase of the history of humanity the only person who could be around was the
mother of the parturient, an ant, or another experienced mother. Then, for thousands
of years, childbirth has been more and more socialized and culturally controlled. During
this long period the birth environment remained mostly feminine. It is only after the
middle of the twentieth century that several factors made the environment more and
more masculine. First, more and more specialised doctors were trained and, in many
countries, most of them were men. Then, suddenly, the doctrine of the participation of
the father spread out in most industrialized countries. At the same time many
sophisticated electronic machines were introduced in the birthing place (technology
being a male symbol). The main question being posed: Is this masculinisation of the
birth environment the main factor why today, at a planetary level, the number of
women who deliver babies and placentas thanks only to the release of natural
hormones (i.e. a ‘cocktail of love hormones’) is approaching zero? Dr. Odent suggests
that the answer to this dilemma is to focus on a better understanding of the
physiological processes during the perinatal period.
KEY WORDS: masculinisation, birth, physiology, oxytocin, hospital, midwifery, doula