Cultural Safety in Midwifery Practice: Protecting the Cultural Identity of the Woman

Cultural safety is a concept based on being aware of the cultural self and the impact this has on encounters with service users. Lack of cultural safety during clinical practice may create an environment in which racist, discriminatory and stereotypical behaviour becomes the norm. Cultural safety highlights how power inequalities can occur during healthcare interactions and the negative impact this can have on an individual’s healthcare experiences. Integration of cultural safety education during midwifery training and throughout a midwife’s career is essential to optimise birthing women and people’s pregnancy experiences.