• Is the female pelvis a problem? Debunking the obstetric dilemma with Professor Holly Dunsworth

  • Feb 6 2023
  • Length: 37 mins
  • Podcast

Is the female pelvis a problem? Debunking the obstetric dilemma with Professor Holly Dunsworth

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  • Summary

  • In this episode I speak to Holly Dunsworth, a biological anthropologist and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Rhode Island. Holly’s work came to my attention when I was researching Give Birth like a Feminist, and discovered she had challenged a theory called The Obstetrical Dilemma. You might not be familiar with that name, but you WILL be familiar with the ideas behind it, essentially that childbirth is more difficult for us humans than for any other mammal, because we’re an intelligent species with large brains, BUT we’ve also evolved to walk upright. This ‘obstetric dilemma’ suggests that there’s something different, or even WRONG, about human females. But, luckily, Holly Dunsworth has had the foresight to challenge this incredibly male-centred way of looking at women’s bodies. 

    Read Holly's paper on the obstetric dilemma: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/soc_facpubs/19/

    You can find Holly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollydunsworth/

    More about Holly's academic work: https://web.uri.edu/soc-anth/meet/holly-dunsworth/

    The brand new edition of Give Birth like a Feminist is available in all good book shops. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Give-Birth-Like-Feminist-choices/dp/000831313X/
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