Strategies for Reducing Racial Disparities in Maternal Health Outcomes: An Examination of the Role of Doulas

Comparatively high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality remain a significant concern in the United States, particularly for Black women, who face a risk of maternal mortality that is four times higher than that of white women. Realizing the historical context of this burden requires tracing American obstetric and gynecological medicine to its 19th-century roots, where the medical experimentation of enslaved Black women occurred largely unopposed by the voices of those in power. The legacy of this is embodied in the modern maternal health crisis, marked by stark racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. As non-clinically trained professionals whose supportive work recenters birthing women’s autonomy and acts as an advocating voice, doulas occupy a uniquely valuable role in improving health outcomes, particularly for marginalized women who most benefit from their care. This thesis explores current literature on how remnants of the origins of women’s healthcare manifest today as contributors to the modern maternal health crisis and investigates how doulas might act as an essential medical intervention in the reduction of racial disparities in maternal health outcomes.