The phrase ‘bread and roses’ comes from a 1912 textile strike in which Rose Schneiderman said “The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too.” This phrase has been used for over a century by feminists and activists, meaning that we want our sustenance but we also want beauty and we want both without compromise.
Midwifery is the fight for autonomy over normal life processes, specifically during the childbearing years. The universal midwifery tradition is to build practices based on reciprocity, continuity of care, consent, and support. Midwives work to maintain natural life cycles through community-based knowledge and love. We labor for access to safer options and better outcomes with self determination over our own bodies and communities. We take a holistic view of family through a social context, and work to create open and dynamic spaces and roles for ourselves and each other. This must include continuing education, expertise in counseling, and playing supportive roles during normal, healthy, and safe childbirth experiences.
This is the struggle of midwifery.
“Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.”