Former occupational term for a midwife. It is gendered through 婦 and has largely been replaced in current Japanese by 助産師, especially in official or professional contexts.
See also: 助産師
In the past, midwives were called 助産婦.
When my grandmother was young, she attended many births as a midwife.
She became a midwife after working as a nurse.
My grandmother worked for many years as the village midwife.