Cloudy At Mr Sewalls Analysis

It is no surprise that occupations tend to reflect gender biases that stem from deeply ingrained stereotypes within the society. For women in particular, there are certain jobs which favor their gender over the other due to the nature of the work and the stigma associated with it. For instance, in the time of Martha Ballard, midwifery was a predominately female occupation mainly because it served the distinct need of females- childbirth. Coupled with the power structure of the society as seen through the gender lens, the entry of males into the field posed a threat as it undermined the work of the women in this field which led to an adversarial relationship. Similar to the medical field today, Ulrich’s claims from the analysis of the diary
at mr Sewalls, they were intimidated & Calld Dr Page who gave my Patient [20] drops of Laudanum which put her into Such a Stupor her pains (which were regular & promising) in a manner”, that Martha felt that Dr. Page’s judgement went against her own expert judgement. Ulrich interprets these entries suggesting that Marth believed Dr. Page’s behavior can only be attributed to inexperience (Thatcher, 1991, p. 177). This stems from Ulrich’s confidence that Martha’s claim that the pains were regular and promising were based on actual measurement or sound judgement based on experience. Although it is very likely that Martha’s claim may have been correct and Ulrich is still speculating, the manner of recording suggests that Martha did not trust the doctor. In turn, the doctor, at times, may not have trusted Martha either. For instance, Dr. Page insisted on “Clos[ing] the Loin”, which at the time was often associated with midwifery rather than medicine due to the intimate nature of the work (Thatcher, 1991, p.
Martha Ballard only summoned a physician twice in twenty seven years (Thatcher, 1991, p. 180). Prior to the high level of competitiveness, the midwives and the doctors complemented each other as the doctors wrote prescription or offered surgical support while the midwives handled all other aspect of child delivery (Thatcher, 1991, p. 177). However, as can be seen from Martha Ballard’s diary, the enlarging gap between demand and supply of aid during childbirth gave an opportunity for men to enter the field. As an individual such as Dr. Page attempted to make a full time career of childbirth, they posed a direct threat to the midwives client base (Thatcher, 1991, p.