Biasiolli, April, authorKwiatkowski, Lynn M., advisorSnodgrass, Jeffrey G., committee memberCanetto, Silvia Sara, committee member2007-01-032007-01-032011http://hdl.handle.net/10217/47303Pregnancy and birth are not purely biological, but fraught in every human culture with a great deal of meaning. Home birth, though unusual in the US, offers an opportunity to examine the cultural beliefs of those that choose it. Through a series of semi-structured ethnographic interviews with homebirth mothers, partners, and midwives, I find that these parents hope to transform the culture of birth to empower women, include men more fully, and give babies a gentler welcome into the world. This thesis draws on feminist and symbolic anthropological theories to examine midwife-attended pregnancy and birth at home as a rite of passage in which the parents both enact and are socialized into their new roles as parents. The mothers learn that a healthy birth is a commodity to be earned or purchased, that society has few obligations to the individual, and that the body gives birth. Fathers receive the related, though not identical, messages that the family is (or should be) self-sufficient, that they are responsible, and that birth care is a business. Both mothers and fathers move in and out of conventionally-gendered activities and roles as they negotiate pregnancy and birth. In the context of ritual, this has the possibility of subverting or reinforcing gender norms. The parents must grapple with this as they raise their new children, and find themselves torn between the desire to foster individuality and coping with the consequences of their children's non-conformity. They resolve this through denying their own role in socialization and attributing their children's gendered activities to individual choice. Though they challenge many ideas about gender as they attempt to change the culture of birth, I find that this labor is stalled: much work remains to be done to empower women and make men more central in birth.born digitalmasters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.United Statesgenderhome birthmedical anthropologymidwiferyritualText