Historical and social context for birth planning in Iceland

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Abstract
Birth planning, a major women's health strategy, is affected by many community factors: literacy, education, employment, infant mortality, the status of women, and the dispersion of health care services. Iceland has the highest birth rate of all Nordic countries, and one of the highest in the Western world. A developed country with a national health system available to all, Iceland has nevertheless been influenced by distinct social, economic, cultural, and environmental forces. In this article I explore the phenomenon of birth planning and related factors that affect the health and development of women in Iceland. Recent gains by women, particularly women's integration into higher education and the professions and increased political participation, are expected to help bridge the existing gap between the status of women in Iceland and in Nordic and other Western European countries. The framework for examining broader community factors that influence birth planning is applicable to any country or subpopulation group. By examining others’ experiences, nurses can better assess complex needs and plan strategies for their own populations.

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