Doctoral Dissertation Research: Navigating reproductive care in times of uncertainty

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

Social and economic inequality are known to have impacts on well-being. Yet, the pathways leading to this relationship remain poorly understood. This doctoral dissertation project examines how inequality intersects with individual attributes to affect access to care and reproductive decision-making.

It does so in a context in which policies shaping reproductive care are changing rapidly, affecting not only what types of support are available at a given time, but knowledge of these changes, and the channels through which knowledge is gained and support offered. Leveraging this context offers a new synthesis of theories of policy, reproductive care, and economic inequality to better understand how these factors shape women’s reproductive decisions.

The research supports a doctoral student’s training. Results will be disseminated widely, including to academic and non-academic audiences, reproductive health practitioners, and organizations involved in health policy.

Specifically, this project examines how a variety of stakeholders interpret and navigate the changing landscapes affecting reproductive care. It has three primary aims: (1) characterizing the association between social and economic inequality and the experiences of women seeking reproductive care; (2) how policies shape the ways that women understand and navigate care options; and (3) how women’s experiences affect understanding of the ethical dimensions associated with the provision of reproductive care.

To achieve these aims, the investigators use a suite of mixed methods such as participant-observation, policy and discourse analysis, semi-structured interviews, and life histories in a context where policies shaping reproductive care are changing rapidly. The results contribute to scientific understandings about the relationships between social and economic inequality and healthcare access and policy, and innovative solutions that arise to adapt to policy changes.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.