This is an interesting article with many varied references, discussing the history of midwifery throughout the world and since the dawn of human civilization. The authors state their interest in identifying the "macro" and "micro" socio-cultural factors that have shaped the development of the midwifery profession, focusing on the concept of "care" and on midwifery as the world's first holistic profession.
In this article, author Lugo discusses the findings of her study relating limits on full practice authority for APRNs to issues of gender equality. She investigated the link between state support of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and laws in these states allowing APRNs full scope of practice and prescribing rights. Her study showed that states that have historically and currently supported the ERA in fact allow greater APRN scope of practice, and thus she draws conclusions about attitudes towards women's equality and the regulation of advanced practice nursing, which remains to be a woman-dominated profession.