The Role of Gender in Turkish Women’s Pregnancy Experiences

Abstract

Apart from the biological changes women experience throughout pregnancy, their exposure to a gender discrimination stemming from cultural values adopted by the society in which they live can make it difficult for them to adapt to pregnancy and thus lead to negative pregnancy experiences. This research was conducted using a cross-sectional and relation-seeking approach to evaluate the effects of social gender inequality on pregnancy experiences. Data for this cross-sectional and relation-seeking study were gathered between 25 November 2019 and 25 January 2020 using face-to face interviews the researcher conducted with childbearing women who visited the outpatient clinic and non-stress test units of a hospital for the pregnancy follow-up. When using the Pregnancy Experiences Scale to assess childbearing women, higher scores indicated more positive emotions than negative emotions. Independent variables that affect the scores on the Pregnancy Experiences Scale include a willingness to be pregnant, the baby's sex, the woman’s income status, gestational week and the Perception of Gender Scale (p<0.005). A positive but weakly significant relationship was found among the total score on the Perception of Gender Scale, the total score on the Pregnancy Experiences Scale and the average scores of positive emotions intensity and frequency in all sub-dimensions (p<0.005). Based on the data, we conclude that women’s pregnancy experiences are generally positive, and that social gender inequality is a significant determinant affecting pregnancy experiences.