Health Justice and Maternity Care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Health Justice and Maternity Care: Recognizing Social Suffering during Pregnancy, Childbirth and Early Parenthood
IRAS ID
311908
Contact name
Ditte Madsen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 29 days
Research summary
This research project will focus on people’s subjective experiences of inequality at the time of pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood and its negative impacts on service users’ idea of self and sense of future. The project will investigate how social suffering might be reproduced or redressed by health care policies surrounding maternity services in four key areas. First, in talking with service users about their experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood, the project will identify how interactions with the health system compound or mitigate experiences of domination and disaffiliation. Second, in examining health policy documents and frameworks, the project will explore how particular policy discourses produce women as responsible for their own well-being or empower women to develop collective solutions. Third, through interviews with midwives and analysis of case notes, the project will examine how discretionary judgments of street level health professionals contribute to or alleviate experiences of inequality. Finally, by observing interactions within and between service user groups, health care providers and policy makers, the project will examine the extent to which these groups are successful in redressing social suffering by engaging and empowering women affected by multiple disadvantage to transform services.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
23/WA/0100
Date of REC Opinion
20 Apr 2023
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion