Accepted Panels

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a series of inequalities, triggering an enormous need to reflect on the differentiated impact of the pandemic around the world. At work and at home, women have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, a situation that has been exacerbated among women who are pregnant, ready to give birth, or in the puerperium. Mothers face an even harsher reality, with consequences in environments marked not only by heavy workloads but also by professional, emotional, and health challenges. This panel seeks an in-depth analysis of the ways in which women experience maternal care during pregnancy, delivery, and the puerperium according to their refer particularly to ethnicity, race, socioeconomic level, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, affiliation with institutional health services and other factors that determine the differentiated paths of mothers. We have invited experts who can deepen our understanding of the meanings and current implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for women from the perspectives of the women themselves, their families, and their healthcare providers. Regarding the latter, we believe it is important to include in our discussion the challenges faced by both traditional therapists and those practicing Western medicine. We invite anthropologists, ethnologists, and social science researchers to contribute to this open discussion with their descriptions and analyses of the social, cultural, economic, and political contexts that affect maternal and newborn health. We would like to include in the debate reflections on the ways in which new threats and levels of exposure to COVID-19 are interwoven with the historical vulnerability of women in receiving maternal healthcare services. We hope that this panel will serve as a space for analysis that helps identify the gaps, but also recognizes the successful experiences and good practices in maternal health and that it will lead to increasingly effective work towards improving maternal care.