The Legendary Women of Call the Midwife
It’s Sunday night, which means you will find me hiding from the world, curled up on my couch, drinking tea and preparing for my weekly obsession — PBS broadcast of the hit BBC1 drama Call the Midwife. My phone is on silent, the blinds are drawn and the TV volume is up as I prepare myself to be thrown into 1950s East London for the next hour.
Based upon the memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth, the period drama follows Jenny, Trixie, Cynthia and Chummy as they pedal around (it is 1950s London, so yes they are on bikes) delivering babies and providing care for some of London’s poorest residents. For a period drama, it would be easy for this show to fall into the normal trappings of nonsensical plot twists and long drawn out romances. Instead, this show depicts an unflinchingly honest portrayal of the everyday lives of the people who live in Poplar. This show is pre Sheryl Sandberg’s rallying call for women to take full advantage of professional and personal opportunities, also known as “leaning in.” Instead, each week viewers are able to see a woman-centered drama, which for once does not pit women as competitors, and, instead, gives us the possibility of the beautiful relationships that can occur when women look to each other as confidants and support one another. In a Time magazine interview Helen George, who plays Trixie, described the women’s relationships on the show by saying, “The focus is the women and the work, the vocation, having a through-line through your life. It’s so nice to do a female-friendly show that isn’t fighting over a man or whatever.”
The show begins as we meet 22-year-old Jenny Lee, who comes to Poplar to work as a midwife. Though she is not a nun, she lives in Nonnatus House, a convent whose nuns are also midwives. We come to know her fellow midwives, and see how that though their experiences and personalities are quite different, they all work cohesively to provide care for the residents that London seems to have forgotten. Yes, I know you’re probably thinking that this show sounds like a cliché, warm marshmallow drama. However, considering that the show depicts the realities of poverty, sexism, ageism, classism and even abortion, trust me, it’s anything but roses and fluff. Even Trixie, a character who could quickly become the stereotypical 1950s blonde bombshell, has a storyline that allows her to have agency and true depth. Moreover, though the show begins in the 1950s, you will quickly realize that we are still working today to solve many of the same social issues. The most obvious issue that occurs throughout the show is the stark reality surrounding the dangers of childbirth. Even today, according to the World Health Organization, over 800 women die from preventable causes related to childbirth and pregnancy each day.
Through their efforts and tireless work, the midwives of Nonnatus House are creating path for other young women to follow suit in pursuing their own fulfilling career ambitions. There are no capes or utterances of “I need to speak to the president.” Nevertheless, week after week I am reminded that these women are perfectly, flawed heroes. Proof that even everyday woman can be “sheroes.”
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