Midwifery, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

In 2023, Germany, Colombia, Cyprus, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan, Luxemburg, Nigeria and Togo proposed the nomination of «Midwifery: knowledge, techniques and practices» (n.º 01968) for inclusion the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The reasons of the proposers were several. Firstly, that including midwifery, a deeply-rooted socio-cultural practice, would promote a more integrated and more holistic perception of intangible cultural heritage at a local level. The inclusion would also raise awareness of the leading role of many women in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage locally while improving understanding at a national level of practices which link cultural heritage to health, highlighting its contribution to sustainable development. Furthermore, this element could be integrated into national strategies for sustainable development, favouring its preservation in a more coherent and holistic way. Finally, it would strengthen understanding of intangible cultural heritage as a key factor in social cohesion.

The intercontinental nature off the inclusion would increase the Convention’s visibility and spotlight how shared, living heritage can unite multiple communities of participating nations, while simultaneously recognising their diversity. The inclusion would boost dialogue between midwives, parents-to-be, women’s organisations, charities, political actors and local communities. Even more important, it would promote dialogue and create synergies between interested parties from different fields like healthcare, culture and social welfare. The decision to include it in the representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage was approved in December 2023.

Unfortunately, in many countries in the world, including Spain, midwives are in danger of extinction. There is a shortage of midwives in almost every country, but in Spain, the situation is particularly pressing. According to certain research, while the EU has 69.8 midwives for every 100,000 women, and 25.9 midwives for every 1,000 births, in Spain the figure is only 31.6 midwives for every 100,000 women and 12.4 midwives for every 1,000 births. This means we are not even halfway to the average in other European countries. Urgent steps must be taken so that a millennial professional does not disappear.