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How did the women's movement of the 1960s increase demand for nurse-midwives?

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Midwives assisting a birth while astrologers consult sky charts; woodcut relief print from Jakob Rueff's De conceptu et generatione hominis (1554; The Expert Midwife). — midwifery Midwives assisting a birth while astrologers consult sky charts; woodcut relief print from Jakob Rueff's *De conceptu et generatione hominis* (1554; *The Expert Midwife*).

The women’s movement of the 1960s was a pivotal catalyst for the resurgence of midwifery in the United States. During this period, women increasingly acted as empowered consumers of health care, demanding greater agency and control over their own birth experiences.1

Specifically, many women sought a balance between the natural, traditional approach to childbirth and the security provided by modern medical technology. They desired the intimacy and naturalness of a traditional delivery while simultaneously requiring access to safety measures should complications arise. This shift in perspective led to a surge in demand for nurse-midwives, who were uniquely positioned to offer this combination of holistic care and clinical expertise.2

As a result of this growing demand, the number of nurse-midwives in the United States rose dramatically, increasing from fewer than 300 in 1963 to over 7,000 by 2007. This movement helped transition nurse-midwifery from a specialty primarily serving poor or geographically disadvantaged populations into a widely recognized and utilized component of modern maternal health care.2