Motherhood, pain, and the healthcare system: an analysis of Andalusian women's discourse

Throughout history, pain has been conceptualized in different ways, although its interpretation has been mostly linked to the biomedical model, according to which the morphological aspects of the body are the main factors in its explanation. This interpretation has been modified by a paradigm shift that highlights the impact that social aspects and people's living conditions have on general and specific aspects of health. Taking childbirth pain as an object of study and developing a sociological analysis of the discourse, it has been observed that the perception and interpretation of this pain are influenced by the social and material conditions of women's lives and by the characteristics of their contexts, as this is the space in which one's own subjectivity is constructed through the performance of the maternal role. This is why the pain of childbirth varies greatly depending on women's habits, due to the meaning and significance that this pain has for them. Likewise, the healthcare system also influences the experience of pain, although in this case the differentiating factor between women is the ability to understand the logic of the system and participate in the processes in which they are immersed. Given the multidimensional nature of pain and the influence of biopsychosocial factors, we believe this is an enriching field of analysis for sociological research.