¹Sociology Program, School of Social Sciences, La Trobe University, 3086, Australia. E-mail: k.reiger@latrobe.edu.au

Abstract

Traditional rivalries between midwives and obstetricians continue to generate tension, mistrust and poor communication in many maternity care settings. The resulting negative emotional climate affects workplace well-being and the care of birthing women. To address these problems, this paper uses critical social theory to consider the ways in which midwifery and obstetrics continue to be positioned, and position themselves, as the 'Other' against which each can be defined. The first section reports on fieldwork observations and interview data from qualitative research into professional work in maternity units in Victoria, Australia. In order to interpret the ways in which professional conflicts are experienced, the paper then develops a conceptual framework drawn from historical sociology of the professions, psychoanalytic debates on subjectivity, and moral and feminist philosophy concerning disrespect and domination. As the search for recognition by the 'Other' profession has become distorted into domination, it is argued, aspects of each professional identity became split off and projected onto the Other. The paper argues that remedying inter-professional conflicts therefore requires replacing long-standing, and deeply gendered, dualism with the dialectical process of mutual recognition.