THE MORE THE MERRIER IN AN INDIVIDUALISTIC CULTURE:
MY EXPERIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES
My nephew BEFORE he was born (3.22.10)
In the United States, there is an estimated 4 million children born annually (NIH, 2013). In an individualistic culture, individuals are open, extroverted, and have freedom from society to stand out. During a time in which women give birth, in the United States, it is not uncommon that family and friends join the mother-to-be on this joyous occasion -birth.
For me? I am not a mother and I have not experienced birth. However, on August 6th, 2010 I was there for my twin sister as she endured the pains and thrills of labor to welcome my nephew Jordan Andrew into the world. It was a no brainer that family (like me) had to be there!
My twin sister, Amber & Jordan Myself & Jordan
"Childbirth is undoubtedly a highly emotional and physical experience. It's crucial that a couple give thoughtful consideration to who will share this time with them, as women tend to carry their birth experience with them for the rest of their lives" (Beaudry, n.d.). As part of an individualistic culture, I am thankful I got the invite.
A CONSERVATIVE BIRTH IN THE COLLECTIVIST CULTURE:
INDIA
In India, there is over 2 billion births annually as the culture is vastly growing (Annonymous, n.d.). During childbirth, I have learned that the Indian women are more conservative and "secretive" meaning what happens during childbirth is between the woman and the doctor. I asked my co-worker if he was there for the birth of his sons and since he is from India he emphasized that what his culture believes is that the men wait outside while the woman gives birth.
In a collectivist culture, individuals focus on approval and discipline from society, They focus on cultural traditions, religion, and customs that differentiate from an individualistic standing point.
Being a collectivist, the relationship between a woman and her doctor during childbirth brings a conservative behavior apart from having family and friends there.
WHAT'S SIMILAR?
Similarities between the United States and India in regards to childbirth involve having public or private healthcare assistance (Harvard, 2012). However, behavior due to culture (individualistic versus collectivist) is a factor that makes the event of childbirth different. Whether there is family and friends or not, welcoming a newborn into the world is still one of the most nerve wrecking yet exciting events that takes place that keeps the world moving.MY THOUGHTS
Being there for the birth of my nephew was my first time. It was the only time I got to witness all the pain a woman goes through and how much assistance is needed. After thinking about this personal experience I realize now how cultures are different yet alike in some ways. I believe now that childhood development has a lot of influence in cultural behaviors whether individualistic or collectivist. This makes an impact on child development because children are raised to believe what their traditions, religions, or customs are which, as they grow, has a lot to do with how they learn and how they behave.
WORKS CITED
Author Unknown. (2012, December 14). Experts
discuss similarities, differences between U.S., India health systems.
Retrieved from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:
http://www.hsp.harvard.edu/news/features
Beaudry, C. (n.d.). Who's in Your Delivery Room?
Retrieved from Babble: http://www.babble.com
Centers of Disease Control (2013). How many infants
are born in the United States each year. Retrieved from National Institute
of Health (NIH): http://www.nichd.nih.gov
The comparison of the two birth cultures is nicely tied together. I did not desire for the birth of my children to be a family affair. It was just me and my husband originally. Unfortunately, due to my high risk deliveries, I vaguely remember counting 15 medical professionals in the room! There's nothing intimate about that.
ReplyDeleteHello Rebecca,
ReplyDeletethough I have never had kids I do not think I would want too many people around. I would want my mom and my sisters... that would be it. As I was researching it is typical for immediate family to join the mother. I also took media into consideration because there are shows such as medical and reality tv that show people having babies which involves additional people in the room. Thats pushing it for me. Thats when I began to think what country is opposite. In India there are many cultures within that culture and there are some families where the man can join his wife and there are others that sit outside the door like my coworker did. There was a lot to think about and consider but the goal was to show a divide in hemispheres and that not all cultures are the same when it comes to birth.
Thank you for the feedback!
Cassandra Richards
Rebecca, I enjoyed your blog post. I agree with you about the healthcare. It is unfortunate that many expecting mothers don't have healthcare.
ReplyDelete