Mapping Maternal Health: Intersectionality-Informed Insights from Exploratory Fieldwork in South India

Maternal health is shaped not only by the availability and utilisation of healthcare services but also by the social, cultural, and relational contexts within which pregnancy and motherhood are experienced. This article presents a retrospective, exploratory analysis of practice-based field observations, reflective notes, and narrative encounters documented during supervised social work fieldwork in 2024 with the Department of Community Health and Development (CHAD), Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. The material emerged during routine community-based maternal health outreach rather than from a prospectively designed research study and involved observations and encounters with approximately 15 antenatal and postnatal women. Using a thematic approach informed by intersectionality, the analysis examines how maternal experiences were situated within family relationships, household decision-making, gendered expectations, cultural practices, emotional support, and everyday constraints surrounding healthcare access. Family relationships appeared to operate simultaneously as sources of practical support and potential constraints on individual autonomy. Emotional concerns emerged alongside expectations surrounding idealised motherhood, while cultural practices were negotiated in relation to family advice and biomedical guidance. The observations also highlighted the importance of partner and family involvement, practical access considerations, and opportunities for women to discuss concerns during community-based maternal health encounters. Because caste and other demographic characteristics were not systematically documented, the study offers intersectionality-informed interpretations of situated field material rather than an empirically designed intersectional comparison. Recent Indian evidence on relational autonomy, perinatal mental health, social support, and socioeconomic inequalities in antenatal care provides a broader empirical context for interpreting these observations. The article argues for greater attention to maternal health as a socially situated experience and identifies directions for future qualitative and mixed-methods research examining the intersections between family dynamics, autonomy, psychosocial wellbeing, and healthcare access. Keywords: Maternal health; Intersectionality; Maternal autonomy; Social Determinants of Health; Antenatal Care; Perinatal mental health; Tamil Nadu