MISMATCH: mistreatment and discrimination in maternity care for women of minority status

Despite high levels of gender equality and low maternal and neonatal mortality, mistreatment and discrimination of women exist in maternity care in Sweden. However, no quantitative studies have systematically evaluated if women’s minority status – particularly as reflected by race/ethnicity – is associated with their experiences of mistreatment and discrimination.

This project will use Swedish national register and survey data to gain a more comprehensive understanding of this topic. First, the research team will examine the risk of experiencing mistreatment and discrimination among women of racial/ethnic minorities and other minority statuses on the basis of disability, sexual orientation, single motherhood, and body weight. Next, researchers will evaluate whether these experiences are modified by different individual, system, and contextual factors. Last, language models and machine learning methods will be used to analyse free text responses in national surveys to assess the manifestations of mistreatment and discrimination.

The project draws on perspectives from the social sciences to understand patient-perceived mistreatment and discrimination in Swedish maternity care. Using novel data and research techniques, the project findings will provide insights into the experience of mistreatment and discrimination in a social context. Together with maternity care providers, the interdisciplinary research team will seek ways of facilitating the transformation towards equity in health and health care.

• Can Liu, Principal Investigator
• Ylva B Almquist
• Andrea Dunlavy
• Karl Gauffin
• Alessandra Grotta
• Ayako Hiroshi
• Sol P Juárez