Isn't Empowerment A Good Thing?
We see it everywhere, including this fantastic article explaining why we need to stop saying "Good Girl" to people in labor - or actually, ever.
Being empowered in labor is a good thing, categorically. But the question of how that power comes to be, can have implications about our beliefs of the underlying power dynamic, and can have a detrimental effect in reinforcing systems of power abuse - the exact opposite that most care providers intend when using the word "empowering."
Simply put: "Empowering" and "empowered" are similar words that describe vastly different power dynamics.
The Problem With "Empowering"
The word empower means, literally, to "give power." Inherent in that word, is that the power did not originally belong to the subject of the empowering.
So if you are "empowering women," you are literally saying women do not inherently have power.
If you are "empowering birthing people," you are literally saying birthing people do not inherently have power.
Likewise, the concept of "empowering midwifery" is problematic, as it literally states that someone other than the empowered person holds that power, and chooses to give that power.
The Simple Solutions
Solution #1: Change the Linguistics
As you may have already picked up, the linguistic solution is simple. Rework your sentences to use the word "empowered."
Old: "We want to empower women."
New: "We love working with empowered women."
Solution #2: Get To The Root Values
Another potential solution, as explored in this article about employees, but also relevant to clinical relationships, is to get off the empow- train altogether, and use more descriptive value-based terms, like "authority" and "autonomy."
Old: We want to empower birthing people.
New: We recognize that birthing people are the ultimate authority of what care they receive in labor.
Solution #3: Add Client-First Language
Old: We want to provide empowering midwifery care.
New: We recognize that our clients have the right to make autonomous decisions, and our role to support that right is...
If you are interested in reading more about this issue, we recommend the following resource:
The Problem With 'Empowerment?' The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. October, 2017.
Got other solutions? Please email [email protected].