Key points:
- Lack of clarity in conceptualising the complex factors leading to
inequities in maternal mortality may result in nihilism in clinical
practice and research.
- Visualising the multiple disadvantages affecting marginalised mothers
as layers of a “Swiss cheese” model may encourage individuals to
intervene and improve outcomes.
- Social science research tools may help to interrogate the systemic
biases leading to an increased risk of maternal mortality through a
lens of intersectionality.