Fear of Childbirth and Intergenerational Narratives: An Approach from Anthropology

Abstract

Over the last century, fear of birth has become a standardized social fear for men and women, regardless of whether or not they are mothers. This fear of the childbirth process arrives to the population via medical discourses that are transmitted with authority through regular contact between health workers and patients (Sánchez, 2008, 72). It is also transmitted via literary texts and audio-visual media and, in the last decade, through social networks that spread information and opinions. This article seeks to reveal the specific weight of the narratives personally transmitted between female relatives and friends throughout the lives of women. The text is based on qualitative research conducted through interviews with women between the ages of 20 and 90 in the province of Barcelona.