Intersections of ethnicity and social class in provider advice regarding reproductive health
Downing, R.A.; LaVeist, T.A.; Bullock, H.E.
American Journal of Public Health 97(10): 1803-1807
2007
ISSN/ISBN: 0090-0036 PMID: 17761569 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2006.092585Document Number: 199512
We examined how ethnicity and social class influence women's perceptions of reproductive health care. Of primary interest was assessing whether health care providers are perceived as advising low-income women, particularly women of color, to limit their childbearing and to what extent they feel they are discouraged by providers from having future children. Ethnically diverse, low-income (n=193) and middle-class women (n=146) completed a questionnaire about their pregnancy-related health care experiences. Logistic regression analyses revealed that low-income women of color experienced greater odds of being advised to limit their childbearing than did middle-class White women. A separate model demonstrated that low-income Latinas reported greater odds of being discouraged from having children than did middle-class White women. Low-income women of color were more likely to report being advised to limit their childbearing and were more likely to describe being discouraged from having children than were middle-class White women. More research is needed regarding how ethnicity and social class impact women's experiences with reproductive health care.