Obstetric violence as epistemic violence.

Stereotypes related to the generative act among, taboos, abuses, and cries of protest

Abstract

This article explores obstetric violence as a form of epistemic and gender-based violence, deeply rooted in cultural and symbolic control over the female body. It examines how the medicalization and pathologization of childbirth function as mechanisms of power that deny the embodied subjectivity of women in labor. The analysis adopts a conceptual and interdisciplinary approach, grounded in educational theory, anthropology, and feminist thought, and supported by international human rights frameworks and testimonies. Drawing from feminist pedagogy, the article investigates how the institutional invisibilization of women’s generative experiences impacts their autonomy, identity, and relational agency. The study also highlights the role of female solidarity networks as spaces of resistance and redefinition, proposing the recognition of obstetric violence as a violation of women's rights and a pedagogical challenge to be addressed through education, policy, and activism.

Keywords: obstetric violence, sisterhood, feminism, motherhood, control of the female body.