This essay is an explanation on why the British midwife Sarah Stone from the 18th century can be considered as an early feminist. Sarah Stone was a midwife in the eighteenth century England.
By being married to an apothecary she had access to several works of medicine, which enabled her education by reading. She was trained in the practice of midwifery by her mother Mrs. Holmes who taught her in Somerset the exercise for six years.
Furthermore - unusually for a woman at that time - she was given the opportunity to study anatomy and be present at autopsies. Stone started practicing midwifery actively in 1701 in the town of Bridgewater. She then moved to Taunton in 1703 and practiced there for 16 years before moving to Bristol in 1719 and finally to London in 1737, the same year her work A Complete Practice of Midwifery was published. By that time she has been a midwife for 36 years.
Table of Contents
1. Sarah Stone – An Early Feminist?
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the professional life and literary contributions of the 18th-century midwife Sarah Stone to determine whether she can be classified as an early feminist. By analyzing her efforts to educate female colleagues and her opposition to the encroachment of male midwives, the study explores the gendered struggles for intellectual and professional autonomy in the medical field of the 1700s.
- Historical role and professional practice of Sarah Stone.
- Impact of the rise of male midwifery and the use of forceps.
- Educational repression and the lack of formal training for women.
- Critical comparison between Sarah Stone and early feminist thinkers like Mary Astell.
- Theoretical definitions of feminism applied to 18th-century social contexts.
Excerpt from the Book
Sarah Stone – An Early Feminist?
Sarah Stone was a midwife in the eighteenth century England. By being married to an apothecary she had access to several works of medicine, which enabled her education by reading. She was trained in the practice of midwifery by her mother Mrs. Holmes who taught her in Somerset the exercise for six years. Furthermore - unusually for a woman at that time - she was given the opportunity to study anatomy and be present at autopsies (Bosanquet 31). Stone started practicing midwifery actively in 1701 in the town of Bridgewater. She then moved to Taunton in 1703 and practiced there for 16 years before moving to Bristol in 1719 and finally to London in 1737, the same year her work A Complete Practice of Midwifery was published. By that time she has been a midwife for 36 years (ibid).
Stone was very committed to teaching her fellow female workmates the science of midwifery. In the eighteenth century it was common to call male midwifes to assist as soon as deliveries became complicated. Stone complained she “cannot comprehend, why Women are not capable of completing this Business when begun, without calling in of Men for their Assistance, who are often sent for, when the Work is near finish’d; and then the Midwife, who has taken all the Pains, is accounted of little Value, and the young Men command all the praise.” (Stone viv-x) That is why she wrote her manual and listed in it the most complicated cases she has been called to and what she did to solve them. Her aim was to instruct other female midwives, hoping it would prevent them from having to call male colleagues for advice. But not only was she a successful midwife and author, she was also a mother and trained her daughter in the field of midwifery just like Stone’s mother did. She stood up against women’s educational repression which leads many historians to consider her an early feminist.
Summary of Chapters
Sarah Stone – An Early Feminist?: This section provides a biographical overview of Sarah Stone’s career, her commitment to training female midwives, and her critical stance against the rising dominance of male practitioners in the 18th century.
Keywords
Sarah Stone, Midwifery, 18th Century England, Early Feminism, Male Midwives, Forceps, Medical Education, Women's Rights, Mary Astell, Obstetric History, Subordination, Professional Autonomy, Labour and Delivery, Gender Roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper investigates the life and work of Sarah Stone, a midwife in 18th-century England, to assess her influence as an early feminist figure in the context of the changing medical landscape of her time.
What are the central themes discussed?
The main themes include the professionalization of midwifery, the gender-based barriers to medical education, the cultural impact of "fashionable" male midwifery, and the theoretical definition of feminism applied to historical figures.
What is the core research question?
The research seeks to answer whether Sarah Stone’s efforts to educate women and challenge the male-dominated hierarchy of childbirth can justify classifying her as an early feminist.
Which methodology is employed in this research?
The study utilizes a historical-literary analysis, examining primary sources like Stone’s own manual and secondary sources related to feminist history and 18th-century social conditions.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers the history of midwifery, the technological shift caused by the introduction of forceps, the social pressures that led women to prefer male midwives, and the lack of formal training for female practitioners.
What are the key terms used to describe the research?
Important keywords include Sarah Stone, early feminism, midwifery, female education, male midwifes, and historical social subordination.
Why did the author compare Sarah Stone to Mary Astell?
The author draws parallels between Stone and Astell to highlight their shared commitment to improving women's access to education and their critical responses to the systemic subordination of women in the 17th and 18th centuries.
How does the author interpret the rise of male midwives?
The author identifies this shift as a combination of technological advancement (forceps) and fashion, noting that male midwives were often requested by elite women to signify status rather than medical necessity.
What was Stone's primary criticism of male midwives?
Stone criticized their lack of practical experience, their superficial training compared to the deep apprenticeship required of women, and their disregard for the modesty of the patient during childbirth.
Does the author conclude that Stone was a feminist?
Yes, the author argues that given the similarities between Stone’s advocacy for women’s intellect and professional skills and contemporary definitions of feminism, she is rightly considered an early feminist.
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- Julia Merten (Autor:in), 2016, Was Sarah Stone an Early Feminist?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/375454
