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Faculty of Graduate Studies

Patricha Ottsen

  • B.Sc. (Lund University, 2020)
Notice of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Arts

Topic

Only If the Mother is Healthy, the Baby Can Be”: Understanding Maternal Health Through Indian Low-Caste and Tribal Women’s Perspectives

Social Dimensions of Health

Date & location

  • Friday, May 29, 2026
  • 1:00 P.M.
  • Health and Wellness Building, Room 230

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

  • Dr. Cecelia Benoit, Department of Sociology, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
  • Dr. Andrea Mellor, School of Public Health and Social Policy, UVic (Co-Supervisor)

External Examiner

  • Dr. Christine Ou, School of Nursing, UVic

Chair of Oral Examination

  • Dr. Erica Woodin, Department of Psychology, UVic

Abstract

Background: India has made substantial progress in reducing maternal mortality in recent decades. However, these collective gains obscure persistent inequities, as low-caste and tribal women continue to experience disproportionate barriers to maternal health and wellbeing. While community-based initiatives are increasingly promoted, a gap remains between low-caste and tribal women’s own priorities for maternal health and those reflected in widely implemented programs based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of maternal health. This study seeks to address this gap by examining low-caste and tribal women’s understanding of maternal health, ultimately nuancing and contextualizing WHO’s framework. Methods: Guided by an intersectionality-informed life course approach, a framework synthesis review of scholarly literature was conducted, informed by a community consultation in Kherwara, Rajasthan, India. Results were validated with the same community to refine and contextualize findings. Results: Maternal health is understood by low-caste and tribal women in India as encompassing the health of the mother and baby, and to an extent, other family members. Women in this context understand maternal health as holistic, relational, and collectively governed. According to this study, maternal health is a continuum that begins with marriage and extends through pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and beyond, as women often have multiple children and later transition into caregiving roles as sisters, friends, and grandmothers. These women also identified food security along with respectful, inclusive, and accessible health services as central to achieving maternal wellbeing. Discussion/Conclusion: There is a disconnect between low-caste and tribal women’s conceptualization of maternal health and existing healthcare and supports available to them. Centring low-caste and tribal women’s articulated priorities is essential to designing equitable maternal health systems that support maternal well-being.

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