OPINIONS OF FOURTH YEAR MIDWIFERY STUDENTS ABOUT HOW CAN PROTECT WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Aim: The defence of women's rights is one of the most important contemporary roles of the midwife, and the International Federation of Midwives has declared this role as the theme of 2019. In this context, it is important to know the current views of the newly graduated midwives about these roles. The aim of the study is to determine the views of fourth grade midwifery students about how they can defend women's rights. Method: This study was carried out in February 2019 in Ayd？n Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Midwifery Department. A total of 67 students were invited to the study, and 31 students reported their views were included in the study. Data were collected by a questionnaire prepared by the researchers. The data was analysed with content analysis method. Results: The opinions of the students participated in the research about defending the rights of women were gathered under six themes. Since some students presented views collected in more than one sub-theme under a theme, the numbers in the themes have not reported the number of participants. The students' views on how they can protect women's rights were collected under of theme composed of “women's education and support” (n = 47), “practices towards society, men and children” (n = 32), “what could be done during service delivery” (n = 23), “supporting the working status of women” (n = 16), and “training of midwives and nurses” (n = 6), “non-governmental organizations” (n = 3). Conclusion: This study concluded that senior midwifery students think that they can do many things during their service provision and / or social lives in order to protect women's rights. Midwives and student midwives can contribute to the development of women's, children's and community health by raising awareness of women's rights and supporting their current studies