Reproductive Justice and pregnant-puerperium cycle: women's perceptions about health care.

• Grant number: 25/20887-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2026
• End date: December 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing - Obstetrical Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Natália Sevilha Stofel
• Grantee: Maria Gabriela da Silva Costa
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The pregnancy-puerperal cycle is a phase of profound biological, psychological, and social transformations, where socioeconomic, racial, and gender factors can intensify vulnerabilities. Although there are legal frameworks and programs aimed at the humanization of care, inequities persist as evidence that Black women experience worse indicators of care, obstetric violence, and institutional racism in healthcare. Therefore, this study is situated within the framework of Reproductive Justice, as an approach that encompasses the intersectionality of race, class, and gender to analyze access to respectful and autonomous care in health services. The general objective of this study is to understand how intersectional markers shape the experiences of women during the pregnancy-puerperal cycle. It is a qualitative, exploratory study, with samples composed of women/transmasculine individuals who experienced pregnancy in the last three years. Sampling will be of the "snowball" type, and data collection will be conducted through semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded and analyzed using Thematic Analysis. The development of this study is expected to highlight how racism, sexism, and social class interrelate in healthcare, pointing to the origins of inequalities, in which the results should support public policies that promote reproductive justice and consolidate the intersectional perspective in public health. (AU)