An IASH Work-in-Progress seminar, delivered by Dr Jowita Thor (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2024-25)
Continuity and Change: The Medicalisation of Pregnancy and the Transformation of Women's Charitable Institutions in Scotland, 1900-1920
This paper examines why Mother & Baby Homes proliferated in early 20th-century Scotland while Magdalene Asylums experienced decline, using the Salvation Army as a case study to trace this institutional transformation. Scottish Magdalene Asylums, predominantly Protestant institutions run by lay philanthropists, provided destitute women with work training and employment support but generally excluded pregnant women, directing them to poorhouses or family care.
The research reveals that Mother & Baby Homes represented both continuity and innovation in charitable provision. Whilst these institutions continued the moral mission of "rescuing" fallen women, they simultaneously pioneered a new endeavour: providing specialised medical support to unmarried and poor women during pregnancy and childbirth. This dual purpose distinguished them from their predecessors and reflected broader changes in medical understanding and social attitudes.
The transformation coincided with the medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth, as medical professionals, government officials, and social reformers increasingly recognised pregnancy as requiring specialised supervision. By examining this transition, the paper illuminates how charitable institutions adapted to serve multiple functions, combining traditional moral concerns with emerging medical priorities. The findings contribute to our understanding of how modern welfare systems emerged through the evolution rather than replacement of earlier charitable forms, demonstrating the complex interplay between moral reform and medical innovation in early 20th-century social provision.
Please join in-person, or click the link below to join the webinar:
https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/83015772676
Passcode: b1QpaAD7