The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and study how the midwife's tasks over time become a profession and develop into today's midwives. The focus will be on how the profession and their areas of work developed and why. Our study takes its starting point in 1886, when the Midwives' Association was founded, until 1977 when midwifery education became a university education. Our thesis is based on Hirdman´s gender theory and Abbott´s theory about professions. Since the purpose of the thesis is to investigate how and why the profession of midwife emerged, Abbott's theory of how and why professions arise provides a good understanding of this phenomenon. Hirdman's gender theory is compatible with the purpose of the thesis as this theory is largely based on male dominance over women.

Our conclusion is that in 1977 midwives became a fully developed profession. With the decision to make the midwifery education a university education, the midwives were finally accepted by both the state and the society. There are several contributing factors on why it took so long for it to become a profession, including the doctors exercise of power over the midwives and the nature of the education. The midwives themselves have also played a role in why the struggle for their profession was protracted out. Based on our study we found the public's understanding and trust in the midwives to be the biggest factor on why it took the midwives nearly 90 years to become a profession.