Event Title
What to Expect When You Read Pregnancy Guides
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Biomedical Sciences, Women and Gender Studies
Mentor Information
Julia Mason, Kathleen Underwood
Department
Women and Gender Studies
Location
Kirkhof Center KC31
Start Date
10-4-2013 1:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2013 2:00 PM
Keywords
Gender, Health, Human Rights, Media
Abstract
Of the dozens of pregnancy guides conveniently available to women, the most popular over the last quarter century is the "What To Expect When You're Expecting" series, which at 597 pages, discusses such topics as pre-conception, the nine months of pregnancy, and finally labor and delivery. Because millions of women use such guides as their primary source, understanding and analyzing the messages received by women is important. This study focuses on the four editions (1984, 1991, 2002, and 2012) of the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" series. These books will be examined with qualitative content analysis to discover possible messages women receive regarding pregnancy choices including the differences of natural compared to medicalized childbirth. Also, by examining each edition, I can analyze how messages change over time. I argue the subject matter in the books focus primarily on medicalized childbirth and how this type is ideal compared to a natural birth.
What to Expect When You Read Pregnancy Guides
Kirkhof Center KC31
Of the dozens of pregnancy guides conveniently available to women, the most popular over the last quarter century is the "What To Expect When You're Expecting" series, which at 597 pages, discusses such topics as pre-conception, the nine months of pregnancy, and finally labor and delivery. Because millions of women use such guides as their primary source, understanding and analyzing the messages received by women is important. This study focuses on the four editions (1984, 1991, 2002, and 2012) of the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" series. These books will be examined with qualitative content analysis to discover possible messages women receive regarding pregnancy choices including the differences of natural compared to medicalized childbirth. Also, by examining each edition, I can analyze how messages change over time. I argue the subject matter in the books focus primarily on medicalized childbirth and how this type is ideal compared to a natural birth.