Anyone who wants to become a midwife must have been studying for several years. What does this mean for those giving birth? Midwifery scientist Nicola Bauer on increased demands, false hierarchies in the delivery room and men in obstetrics.
For a long time, midwifery was a traditional training profession. In the past, either doctors (mostly men) learned how to help babies into the world during medical studies – or midwives (almost always women) at technical school. But in 2005, the EU made it clear with a directive that it would no longer tolerate this system; from 2020, a degree should be a requirement to become a midwife. Model courses were hectically developed in Germany. Nicola Bauer became one of the first professors to train midwives at a university and thus turn them into academics. Her eleventh year is currently taking the state exams. Time for an interim assessment.