Obstetric violence and racism: analysis of scientific production from an intersectional perspective

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate obstetric violence as a phenomenon arising from racism and its intersectionality, as factors suffered during the pregnancy and puerperal period in hospital institutions in several countries. To this end, systematic literature review research was used as a method, as well as the PRISMA protocol perspective was adopted for data collection. References were recruited from the databases, using the descriptors “obstetric violence” and “racism” or “intersectionality”. The search resulted in 1126 articles which, when applying the eligibility criteria, reached the volume of 3 (three) works. Based on the findings, two categories were constructed, “Intersectionality (race, gender and social class)” and “Obstetric violence”. As a result, there was a shortage in national and international journals dedicated to Health Sciences. Such absences or insufficiencies may indicate the non-consolidation of black women's health as thematic and research fields, related to the low degree of penetration in research institutions debates about racism, its impacts on health and ways of coping.