Going into Labour: Childbirth in Capitalism by Anna Fielder

Childbirth is often described as a natural process, but the decisions we make around birth, the care that is available and the risks we face, are embroiled in the dynamics of the capitalist system in which we live. In this presentation Anna Fielder will talk about how political and economic forces shape childbirth in ways that are often unacknowledged. She emphasises that the conditions in which birth workers – such as midwives – work are those in which people give birth, and highlights the importance of struggles against colonialism, racism, patriarchy and cisheteronormativity – as well as capitalism – in birthing arenas.

Anna Fielder is Senior Lecturer in the Midwifery Department at Auckland University of Technology. She is a sociologist whose work focuses upon pregnancy, childbirth and the perinatal period. Her first book, Going Into Labour, was published in November 2024.

*FREE EVENT* *OPEN TO ALL*