Being a black mother living with HIV is a "whole story": Implications for intersectionality approach
Date
2022
Authors
Etowa, Josephine B.
Kakuru, Doris M.
Etowa, Egbe B.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Women
Abstract
While African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) mothers living with HIV in Canada are required
to follow public health guidelines by exclusively formula feeding their infants, they also face cultural
expectations from peers and family members to breastfeed. They face multiple challenges because
of their race, ethnicity, gender, class, and geographical location, among other factors. Previously
published studies on this subject did not analyze how the intersectionality of these factors impacts
Black mothers’ infant feeding experiences. In this article, we discuss the infant feeding practices of
Black mothers living with HIV in Ottawa (Canada). We followed a qualitative methods research
design that utilized intersectionality and a community-based participatory research approach. We
used the intersectionality framework as a lens to analyze the complex mesh of determinants influencing
motherhood experiences of ACB women living with HIV. Being a Black/ACB mother while
living with HIV is a “whole story” permeated with cutting-across issues such as race, class, gender,
socio-political, and cultural contexts. These issues are interwoven and often difficult to unravel.
Multiple layers of structural determinants of Black/ACB women’s HIV vulnerability and health are
described. Intersectionality is important for an in-depth understanding of societal power dynamics
and their impact on women’s health inequities.
Description
Keywords
infant feeding, Black motherhood, intersectionality, community-based participatory research, living with HIV
Citation
Etowa, J. B., Kakuru, D. M., & Etowa, E. B. (2022). “Being a black mother living with HIV is a ‘whole story’: Implications for intersectionality approach.” Women, 2(4), 326-338. https://doi.org/10.3390/women2040030