Spanish women’s perceptions of empowerment during the reproductive process

Dissatisfaction among women and health professionals regarding the health care during the perinatal period has led to the development of another style of, oriented towards encouraging and respecting the autonomy of women during the process, what has called ‘women’s empowerment’. The aim of this paper is describe women’s perceptions of empowerment during the perinatal period and its to the humanization of childbirth, individualized care, and a dignified of their bodies. Study was carried with a descriptive qualitative exploratory using six focus groups of between 5 and 8 participants (June 2020–June 2022). The groups were guided by a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was according to the Taylor-Bodgan methodology. The number of participants 39 (29 pregnant; the rest were less than 12 months postpartum). From the analysis the data, nine categories arose: definition, benefits, harms, role of the midwife, , essential aspects, knowledge, feelings, and improvements. As concluding, participants perceive women’s empowerment in the perinatal period as beneficial, although this is a term with which they are unfamiliar. They that the role of the midwife and the information received are fundamental in this empowerment. Finally, a close relationship is established between this and others such as individualized care and the humanization of childbirth.