The Role of Doulas in the Prevention of Obstetric Violence in Austria

Sammanfattning: This thesis research zeroes in on the role of doulas regarding prevention of obstetric violence by summarizing existing literature and providing first-hand insights from qualitative semi-structured interviews with three Austrian doulas, answering the question: What role do doulas play in the prevention of obstetric violence in Austria? The research and data analysis are based on the Birth Territory Theory with an intersectional perspective and the thesis aims at providing information on obstetric violence and the role that doulas play in its prevention. Currently this topic is hardly researched in Austria, even though globally one third of parturients experience violence while giving birth. The findings show that obstetric violence is present during childbirth in many forms in Austria on a regular basis and that intersectional dimensions such as education or age play a role in it. The role of doulas in theprevention of obstetric violence is diverse and includes inter alia raising awareness,being a witness, being a mediator between midwives and parturients, proposing options, and offering emotional support. Nevertheless, in Austria doulas are not allowed to intervene during birth and cannot eliminate obstetric violence by themselves.