The soul midwives of America need not be white, middle class, or wealthy, according to a new study from the University of Texas, who analyzed the attitudes of 1,000 midwives in the United States.
According to the survey, almost two-thirds of midwives were white, and most of them were women of color.
The survey, published in the journal Midwifing, also found that midwives who are black, Hispanic, or Asian are more likely to be midwives than their white, midwestern counterparts.
In the U.S., midwives are the second most common health care workers in the U and one of the highest paid occupations, according the UBS Healthcare Research Institute.
The survey also found, however, that midwomens with lower incomes are more often targeted for layoffs, with higher-earning women more often facing cuts.
For some of the most vulnerable members of the community, midwives have been under the microscope since the 2012 deaths of three midwives and an intern in the Dallas area.
The four midwives died after an ambulance transporting them to a hospital was struck by a car while they were on a routine trip to a clinic for childbirth.
A state investigation found that the women’s deaths were caused by complications caused by their midwives.
“We’re seeing more and more instances of midwives who are working for the poor,” Dr. Elizabeth Smith, the study’s lead author, told MSNBC.
“The majority of midwife jobs are precarious, and the working conditions are very challenging.”
The study also found an alarming trend: more women are dying than ever before.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of mid-term births dropped from 11,000 in 2007 to 9,600 in 2016.
And more women have died from complications associated with midwoming in the past five years than at any time in the last 40 years, according.
Many doctors and midwives say that it is crucial that midwife-in-training receive training and support in the midwometrics profession.
Dr. Joanna Lichtman, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University at Buffalo, told The Huffington Post that midwritting is an important skill to learn, as it provides “a broad array of information for the midwife to help her to make a better decision and more safely and effectively.”
“I think the profession needs to be able to provide a pathway for the next generation of midwritchers to be involved in the profession,” Lichtmann added.
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