It’s time to sound the alarms. Maternal mortality is climbing in the United States, and is the highest among any developed country. But the high rates in the US don’t apply to everyone equally. In the US, Black mothers have a 3-4x higher risk of dying from pregnancy than white mothers do, regardless of education, income, or occupation. Between college-educated women, that number is 5.2. This gap in health outcomes between Black and white women, known as the racial gap, has not only persisted, but widened in the US over the last 100 years. How can this be true?
Not convinced there’s a problem in the US? Take a look at this chart, compiled from NPR
If that’s not shocking enough, the story within the US itself reveals even more drastic gaps. In the United States:
The maternal mortality ratio (MMR), or the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, is widely-used indicator of maternal health in the US. For Black women, the MMR is 41, compared to just 13 for white women. These trends are unacceptable.
So WHY is Black maternal mortality so high in the United States? (the quick answer!)
“Black women have higher maternal mortality rates in the United States due to systemic racism, which historically has shaped access to opportunity, resources, and power, and in turn affect health disparities. Racism manifests both in the social determinants of health as well as in quality of care received, leading to disproportionality higher rates of maternal death and adverse birth outcomes in Black women.” Investigating Drivers of Racial Disparity in Maternal Health, Lister, April 2020
Head over to the Drivers of Disparity tab to learn more about the “Why”
Welcome! This site dedicated to educating and raising awareness about the dire state of maternal mortality in the US. My name is Margaret Lister, and I am a recent graduate of the College of William & Mary. In the spring of 2020, I wrote a research paper on racial disparities in maternal health, and created this website in the hopes of making my paper and its findings more accessible. Many thanks to my professors, Dr. Camilla Buchanan and Dr. Elyas Bakhitiari, for their guidance, knowledge, and support.
Positionality statement: I recognize the privilege of getting to learn and research about this topic, rather than experience systemic racism firsthand. My goal with this website is not to center my own voice, but to synthesize key research in an easy to read format, and create a dedicated space to the voices of Black women who are too often ignored.
Disclaimer: Although this site has been reviewed and fact-checked by medical professionals, the contents of this site should be used for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for medical advice.