Effects of gender roles on birth pain

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of gender roles on labor pain in women who have given vaginal delivery. This research was conducted as descriptive, cross-sectional and relational. The research was carried out in the delivery room of a city hospital in a province in the Central Anatolia Region between September 2019 and September 2020. The sample of the study consists of 231 primiparous pregnant women who gave vaginal delivery. Research data were collected using the "Introductory Information Form for Women", "Birth Follow-up Form", "Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Pain Form" and "BEM Gender Roles Inventory (BCRE)". The relationship between the femininity and masculinity role subdimensions of gender roles and the mean birth pain scores according to the stages of labor was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Simple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of gender roles on labor pain according to the stages of labor. As a result of the study, a statistically significant difference was found between the mean labor pain scores according to the education level of the woman in the transitional phase of labor. According to the results of the regression analysis, it was found that as the mean of the femininity gender role increased, the mean of labor pain scores of women increased. As a result, it determined that gender roles are effective on women's labor pain. Nurses and midwives who care for labor pain should evaluate gender roles as a factor affecting women's labor pain.