Childbirth Among Unmarried Women : A Study of Childbearing Based on Midwives’ Records during the Institutionalization of Maternity Care in Alingsas, 1927–1942

This study examines how childbirth among unmarried women was documented within maternity care in Alingsås between 1927 and 1942. The study is based on midwives’ records and focuses on unmarried and married first-time mothers, to compare patterns of childbirth, place of delivery and institutional arrangements. The period studied coincides with significant changes in Swedish maternity care, marked by increasing institutionalization and growing state involvement. In Alingsås, several forms of care coexisted during this period, including private maternity homes, local hospital and home births attended by a district midwifes. The results show that unmarried first-time mothers, were on average, younger and more often resident in the urban area of Alingsås. They also gave birth in institutional settings to a greater extent than married women who more frequently gave birth at home. However, no major differences emerge between the groups regarding childbirth complications or the woman’s heath after delivery. The midwives’ records are characterized by a highly factual and standardized language, without moralizing descriptions of unmarried mothers. Civil status constitutes a fundamental category in the records and marks the woman’s social position. In conclusion, the study demonstrates the differences between married and unmarried mothers in Alingsås primarily concerned social and institutional conditions rather than medical ones. The study contributes a local historical perspective on how unmarried motherhood was handled within the emerging state maternity care system.