PostDoc Researcher
Unit for Theoretical Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology
University of Vienna
Abstract
Human childbirth is widely assumed to be uniquely difficult due to tight fetopelvic proportions, obstructed labor, and elevated maternal and neonatal mortality. Under the ‘obstetrical dilemma’ framework, this difficulty is attributed to the evolutionary interplay of bipedalism and encephalization. Through a comparative mammalian approach, including a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis, I evaluate whether human birth is really exceptional in its risk.
