This documentary on obstetrics takes a succinct and radical look at the history, sociology and politics – not to mention physiology – of childbirth. Using archive material, re-enactments, graphics and interviews ‘Positions of Power’ covers a whole range of facts and information knowledgeably and at times humorously. The film's central theme is about physical positions during childbirth – why women are encouraged to lie in the “stranded beetle position”; how this affects them; what they can do. Linked in to this is the way that power has been appropriated from midwives by the male medical profession and the case for returning many deliveries to their competent hands. Engrossing and instructive, this is a film which will be appreciated by any woman considering childbirth. 

How and why has control of the birth process changed hands throughout history? Birth has become in so many cases a highly mechanised medical event rather than a home-based activity integrated into everyday life. Often childbirth is not discussed by women until it's too late to prepare ourselves or consider the options available. We hope that the film will help to arm women with the necessary confidence and knowledge to make their own decisions. We also hope the film is of broader interest in the context of women's health and having control of our bodies. 

– Jacky Garstin

Description source: Circles Catalogue (circa 1983). Compiled by Helen MacKintosh and Margaret Gillan. Edited by Felicity Sparrow.