Racializing Midwifery: An Ethnography of Blackness, Gender, and Birth Care in Atlanta, Georgia

Abstract

Racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality are increasing in the U.S and have entered legislative as well as media discussions. In order to contribute to the scholarly discussion on birth care and racial disparities in birth outcomes in anthropology, this thesis draws from 8 weeks of ethnographic research conducted with birth care providers and patients in the greater Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area. The thesis focuses on the midwifery model of care and its negative and positive effects on Black maternal health. Specifically, it examines how continual reinforcement of racialized and classed hierarchies and stereotypes affect care quality and accessibility, and how alternative approaches attempt to temper inequality for Black patients through community-based support systems. The research affirms the efficacy of a community-based midwifery model of care, asserting that it should be further explored as a useful approach to mitigating some of the proximate causes of Black maternal mortality.