Birthing Fathers: The Transformation of Men in American Rites of Birth

In this unique study, Richard Reed draws on the feminist critique of professionalized medical birthing to argue that the clinical nature of medical intervention distances fathers from child delivery. He explores men's roles in childbirth and the ways in which birth transforms a man's identity and his relations with his partner, his new baby, and society. In other societies, birth is recognized as an important rite of passage for fathers. Yet, in American culture, despite the fact that fathers are admitted into delivery rooms, little attention is given to their transition to fatherhood.

Author(s): Richard K. Reed
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Published: 2005
Pages: 276
Categories: Family & Relationships