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Filling a gap in maternity care: The caring dilemma in doula practice

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  • Christina Young

Abstract

Doulas are non‐medical support persons, paid for privatively by clients, who offer emotional support during pregnancy and childbirth. While doulas work alongside clinical care providers, such as physicians, midwives, and nurses, they are unregulated and typically have no formal standing in hospitals. As with other types of care work, doula practice is shaped by gendered assumptions about women's “natural” and boundless capacity to provide care. In this paper, I draw on interviews with 26 doulas practicing in Toronto, Canada, to explore the nature of doulas' caring dilemma―the tension between an altruistic motivation to provide care and a desire for greater professional autonomy and control over working conditions among care workers. I show that doulas' self‐imposed obligation to provide a specific model of care, along with their desire to fill gaps in maternity care, results in a caring dilemma that places their own needs in opposition to those of their clients. In response to their significant caring demands, some doulas attempt to alter their work to improve their working conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Christina Young, 2022. "Filling a gap in maternity care: The caring dilemma in doula practice," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1481-1494, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:29:y:2022:i:5:p:1481-1494
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12842
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zuberi, Daniyal M. & Ptashnick, Melita B., 2011. "The deleterious consequences of privatization and outsourcing for hospital support work: The experiences of contracted-out hospital cleaners and dietary aids in Vancouver, Canada," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(6), pages 907-911, March.
    2. Naomi LIGHTMAN, 2017. "Discounted labour? Disaggregating care work in comparative perspective," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 156(2), pages 243-267, June.
    3. David N. Barron & Elizabeth West, 2013. "The Financial Costs of Caring in the British Labour Market: Is There a Wage Penalty for Workers in Caring Occupations?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 51(1), pages 104-123, March.
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