Racial discrimination in reproductive health care from women's perspective

Abstract

Racial discrimination can influence the functioning of the health services and the relationships between health professionals and service users, and may be reproduced imperceptibly, through how the people in the vicinity are treated. This study aimed to describe women's perception about racial discrimination in health care practices in reproductive health. It is an exploratory-descriptive study, with a qualitative approach. The information was collected in a Primary Health Care Center in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil in 2010, through semi-structured interviews held with 25 women. The technique of thematic analysis was used for analyzing the discourses. The analysis revealed situations of discrimination experienced or witnessed by the women in the reproductive health services and recognition of discrimination related to race/color and to social class. Despite there being perception of racial discrimination, the women had difficulty in recognizing that they suffered such practices, evidencing the naturalization of racial inequalities in reproductive health care.