Husbands and Mothers
The Husband-Mother Relationship
During the four weeks I spent in antenatal clinics and surgical theatres in Uganda, I rarely ever saw men. Almost all of the women I watched deliver babies came to the hospital unaccompanied. Once in a while, an expectant mother had a female friend or relative with her. However, husbands were never present at deliveries and were very rarely present at antenatal care appointments. Furthermore, no men delivered babies (unless serious complication occurred). Midwives were in-charge of most antenatal care checkups and normal deliveries. I have been very curious about the reasons for these practices, especially the seemingly lack of husband involvement. Many anthropologists have given reasons for the customs I observed and have found that the outside appearance of husband apathy may be deceptive.
One study, conducted by Britta C. Mullany, researched the barriers towards promoting husbands’ involvement in maternal health in Katmandu, Nepal. The study found that, “The most prominent barriers to male involvement in maternal health included low levels of knowledge, social stigma, shyness/embarrassment and job responsibilities.” [37] Some of these reasons are likely similar for the practices I saw in Uganda. In general, Ugandans were much more conservative, in dress and mannerisms, compared to Western cultures. It may have been less culturally-appropriate for men in Uganda to see women in state of giving birth since this is a very personal event where a woman is exposed and vulnerable. Job responsibilities were also likely an important reason for husbands to not be present at deliveries. Most of the women I interviewed were married to husbands who were wholly, or mostly responsible for the family income. Therefore, it may have been crucial to the rest of the family that the husband fulfill his work responsibilities every day.
Mullany states that “providers unanimously felt the option of couples-friendly maternal health services would enhance the quality of care and understanding of health information given to pregnant women, echoing attitudes expressed by most pregnant women and their husbands.” [38] The few times I saw a male partner attend antenatal care appointments with their wives, midwives did encourage them to participate in the health education sessions. It seems that health providers try to incorporate husbands into the maternal health process but that these efforts are poorly implemented, given that most husbands still do not attend these appointments.
An article written by Matthew R. Dudgeon and Marcia C. Inhorn discusses the influence that men have on women’s reproductive health from a medical anthropological perspective. The authors state that, “One of the most important areas of reproductive health affected by men is pregnancy care and outcome; yet, men's participation in and influence on prenatal care is poorly understood from an anthropological perspective.” [39] The authors argue that more studies should focus on the role that partners play in the health of the women during childbirth by saying that “research and interventions in the area of prenatal care, as well as other aspects of pregnancy outcome, consistently target women rather than men. This is due not only to the perceived need to channel resources to women during and after pregnancy, but also because of the slowly changing perception that men are only tangentially involved in the mother–fetus health package.” [40] These authors apparently believe that men greatly affect maternal health care. They go further in their paper to discuss the various ways that men affect women’s health, such as providing proper nutrition, providing resources needed to seek proper medical attention, and supporting them emotionally.
While it was difficult for me to gauge how husbands did or did not support their wives during pregnancy, since the husbands were usually not present, I did ask the mothers about their husbands’ support. Most responses sounded somewhat like, “He supports me in everything.” Of course, it is impossible to know if the husbands actually did support them in all ways, or if their wives were telling the truth or if they understood how they should be supported. However, the notion that they believed their husbands supported them means that they felt positively about the support they garnered, which makes it likely the husbands actually did support them in adequate manners.
A study conducted by Marion Carter dealt with husbands’ involvement with maternal health care in Guatemala. He shed a positive light on this issue by saying that, ‘While [husbands] are often cast as one of many barriers that women face to better health, husbands also emerge as positive actors. For example, in a recent study of urban Thai women, husbands were found to be the primary sources of pregnancy social support.” [41] I found similar perspectives in my research in Uganda. For example, when I asked the women who had helped them decide to have a baby and where it should be delivered, almost all of them reported that they had spoke with their husbands regarding the issue. For the most part, the expectant mothers reported that their husbands supported them seeking medical attention, paying for transportation and hospital costs, and even performing special tasks, such as preparing the women’s favorite dishes.
My first impressions of husband support during pregnancy in Uganda were misleading because of the Western ideals I had held. I initially regarded the lack of male presence in the antenatal clinics and pregnancy wards to be a sign that males were not involved in maternal health. However, after learning about the less-visual ways that men support women during pregnancy in various cultures, and speaking with expectant mothers in Uganda, it seems that there are numerous other ways that Ugandan husbands support their wives during pregnancy. It is difficult to compare the manner in which husbands in Uganda support their wives to the way husbands in the United States support their wives. There are certainly very different cultural practices which influence the types of support that husbands in different cultures provide. These differences do not necessarily make certain types of support better or worse than others, or signal a lack in husband involvement. From the responses I received, women in Uganda typically receive a lot of social, financial, and emotional support from their husbands during pregnancy.
During the four weeks I spent in antenatal clinics and surgical theatres in Uganda, I rarely ever saw men. Almost all of the women I watched deliver babies came to the hospital unaccompanied. Once in a while, an expectant mother had a female friend or relative with her. However, husbands were never present at deliveries and were very rarely present at antenatal care appointments. Furthermore, no men delivered babies (unless serious complication occurred). Midwives were in-charge of most antenatal care checkups and normal deliveries. I have been very curious about the reasons for these practices, especially the seemingly lack of husband involvement. Many anthropologists have given reasons for the customs I observed and have found that the outside appearance of husband apathy may be deceptive.
One study, conducted by Britta C. Mullany, researched the barriers towards promoting husbands’ involvement in maternal health in Katmandu, Nepal. The study found that, “The most prominent barriers to male involvement in maternal health included low levels of knowledge, social stigma, shyness/embarrassment and job responsibilities.” [37] Some of these reasons are likely similar for the practices I saw in Uganda. In general, Ugandans were much more conservative, in dress and mannerisms, compared to Western cultures. It may have been less culturally-appropriate for men in Uganda to see women in state of giving birth since this is a very personal event where a woman is exposed and vulnerable. Job responsibilities were also likely an important reason for husbands to not be present at deliveries. Most of the women I interviewed were married to husbands who were wholly, or mostly responsible for the family income. Therefore, it may have been crucial to the rest of the family that the husband fulfill his work responsibilities every day.
Mullany states that “providers unanimously felt the option of couples-friendly maternal health services would enhance the quality of care and understanding of health information given to pregnant women, echoing attitudes expressed by most pregnant women and their husbands.” [38] The few times I saw a male partner attend antenatal care appointments with their wives, midwives did encourage them to participate in the health education sessions. It seems that health providers try to incorporate husbands into the maternal health process but that these efforts are poorly implemented, given that most husbands still do not attend these appointments.
An article written by Matthew R. Dudgeon and Marcia C. Inhorn discusses the influence that men have on women’s reproductive health from a medical anthropological perspective. The authors state that, “One of the most important areas of reproductive health affected by men is pregnancy care and outcome; yet, men's participation in and influence on prenatal care is poorly understood from an anthropological perspective.” [39] The authors argue that more studies should focus on the role that partners play in the health of the women during childbirth by saying that “research and interventions in the area of prenatal care, as well as other aspects of pregnancy outcome, consistently target women rather than men. This is due not only to the perceived need to channel resources to women during and after pregnancy, but also because of the slowly changing perception that men are only tangentially involved in the mother–fetus health package.” [40] These authors apparently believe that men greatly affect maternal health care. They go further in their paper to discuss the various ways that men affect women’s health, such as providing proper nutrition, providing resources needed to seek proper medical attention, and supporting them emotionally.
While it was difficult for me to gauge how husbands did or did not support their wives during pregnancy, since the husbands were usually not present, I did ask the mothers about their husbands’ support. Most responses sounded somewhat like, “He supports me in everything.” Of course, it is impossible to know if the husbands actually did support them in all ways, or if their wives were telling the truth or if they understood how they should be supported. However, the notion that they believed their husbands supported them means that they felt positively about the support they garnered, which makes it likely the husbands actually did support them in adequate manners.
A study conducted by Marion Carter dealt with husbands’ involvement with maternal health care in Guatemala. He shed a positive light on this issue by saying that, ‘While [husbands] are often cast as one of many barriers that women face to better health, husbands also emerge as positive actors. For example, in a recent study of urban Thai women, husbands were found to be the primary sources of pregnancy social support.” [41] I found similar perspectives in my research in Uganda. For example, when I asked the women who had helped them decide to have a baby and where it should be delivered, almost all of them reported that they had spoke with their husbands regarding the issue. For the most part, the expectant mothers reported that their husbands supported them seeking medical attention, paying for transportation and hospital costs, and even performing special tasks, such as preparing the women’s favorite dishes.
My first impressions of husband support during pregnancy in Uganda were misleading because of the Western ideals I had held. I initially regarded the lack of male presence in the antenatal clinics and pregnancy wards to be a sign that males were not involved in maternal health. However, after learning about the less-visual ways that men support women during pregnancy in various cultures, and speaking with expectant mothers in Uganda, it seems that there are numerous other ways that Ugandan husbands support their wives during pregnancy. It is difficult to compare the manner in which husbands in Uganda support their wives to the way husbands in the United States support their wives. There are certainly very different cultural practices which influence the types of support that husbands in different cultures provide. These differences do not necessarily make certain types of support better or worse than others, or signal a lack in husband involvement. From the responses I received, women in Uganda typically receive a lot of social, financial, and emotional support from their husbands during pregnancy.