Resumo:
This dissertation analyzed inequalities in maternal deaths in Brazil between 2012 and 2023 through an intersectional approach focused on the social markers of race/skin color, educational attainment, and age group. Maternal mortality, recognized as a serious violation of human rights, was discussed as an expression of the multiple layers of exclusion that structurally affect Black women and other marginalized populations. Grounded in the theoretical framework of reproductive justice and intersectionality, the study used secondary data from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and the Live Birth Information System (SINASC), analyzed using cross-classification methods. The findings revealed that Black women (pretas and pardas) accounted for 66.7% of maternal deaths during the period studied, with the highest Maternal Mortality Ratios (MMR) observed among young Black adolescents with inadequate education (394.7 per 100,000 live births). The overlapping of racial, generational, and socioeconomic inequalities demonstrated that maternal death in Brazil is selective and reflects institutional omission toward the lives of specific populations. The intersectional analysis revealed how racism, sexism, and class oppression jointly determine preventable maternal deaths, exposing a persistent pattern of reproductive injustice. The study concludes that public policies committed to equity and social justice must recognize and address the intersectional vulnerabilities that structure the risk of maternal death in the country.
