Ramblings on Race, Culture, and the Doctrine of Separate Spheres

Race and ethnicity can be touchy subjects to write about. I don't want to make any generalizations, and yet, I've noticed very striking patterns in how culture affects the way people interact. In my experience, this has been most pronounced in labor and delivery.

I wrote a blog several months ago about a husband who dominated a conversation I was trying to have with the wife (the patient). This happens at a surprising frequency. For a specific ethnic group, communication seems to happen via the husband, almost like an interpreter. When I ask a question, the husband will repeat it to the patient. If the patient has a contraction, she will whisper it to her husband who will then communicate it to me. Although I respect this is how they communicate, it is strikingly different than what I am used to (or expect).

It makes me think of the doctrine of separate spheres. In early 19th century Europe (though the idea has been extant in Western thought for much longer), men dominated the public sphere; they were allowed to engage in politics, business, and interactions outside the household. Women, on the other hand, participated in the private sphere of domestic life, housekeeping, and childraising. It was improper for women to cross over to the public sphere; indeed, it would be indecent for a woman to be seen in public unaccompanied. These gender roles permeated the culture and thought of the time; it wasn't until the mid-20th century when feminist theorists began to refute this doctrine (ie., The Feminine Mystique).

This is what that interaction in labor and delivery feels like: some clash between the private sphere and the public sphere, and the husband traverses the gap. This hypothesis may be completely wrong; the ethnic group isn't a Western one, but it's a thought I have in the middle of the night on my eighth epidural. Other ethnic groups also have their own particularities. For example, one group of patients commonly asks their mother or sister to stay for the epidural rather than the husband. The sociology of pregnancy is a fascinating topic.