Beyond Purdah: Understanding the Barriers Indian Muslim Women Face in Accessing and Utilizing Maternal Health Services

Abstract

Several analysts have found that the utilization rates of maternal health services, such as antenatal care visits, skilled birth attendants and institutional deliveries are lower among Muslim women relative to women of other religious groups in India. Some have attributed this to the religiosity of Muslim women, among other social determinants such as income, education, class, and parity. These authors highlight that religious practices such as purdah play a significant role in shaping Muslim women’s reluctance to access maternal services. They report that Muslim women prefer not to access facilities with male providers, and that they lack decision making autonomy regarding their reproductive health. In this article, I will uncover the limitations underlying their arguments. I present an alternate argument: Muslim women’s utilization patterns of maternal health services may be better explained by systemic factors such as financial barriers, the historical mistrust of government health services, health communication disparities, and discrimination against Muslim women by healthcare professionals. This article argues for public health researchers to adopt a sociopolitical lens in explaining and contextualizing the barriers women belonging to excluded, minoritized, or marginalized caste and religious groups in India face in accessing maternal care.