Politics of Controlling Birth: C-Section, Use of Contraception and Obstetrics Violence in Bangladesh

Author

Sadia Sharmin, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

8-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS)

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Dr. Rosalynn A. Vega

Second Advisor

Dr. Margaret Graham

Third Advisor

Dr. Servando Hinojosa

Abstract

This study examines the increasing rate of cesarean birth in Bangladesh through the lens of the population control program. Based on three months of data collection, the study explores various politics of the government’s population control program, leading me to argue that cesarean birth is an implicit way of controlling overpopulation in Bangladesh since it limits women’s reproductive choices and thus contributes to population control. Using ethnographic vignettes, I discuss how my research findings point to the government’s disparate population control politics and how this has given rise to various forms of obstetric violence against women. The study also addresses cesarean birth and obstetric violence as forms of “reproductive governance”—mechanisms to control women’s reproduction. This thesis concludes by recommending further studies on the connection between cesarean birth and population control from a cross-cultural perspective.

Comments

Copyright 2021 Sadia Sharmin. All Rights Reserved.

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/utrgv.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/politics-controlling-birth-c-section-use/docview/2600355821/se-2?accountid=7119

Recommended Citation

Sharmin, Sadia, "Politics of Controlling Birth: C-Section, Use of Contraception and Obstetrics Violence in Bangladesh" (2021). Theses and Dissertations. 967.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/967