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Unequal Before Birth
The Maternity Leave Experiences of Low-Income Mothers of Color in the United States
Unequal Before Birth
The Maternity Leave Experiences of Low-Income Mothers of Color in the United States
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Description
This book offers insight into women's different experiences when giving birth and taking maternity leave in the United States. By offering an intersectionalities perspective grounded in the history and socially constructed understandings of race, class, and gender, this book describes, explains, and can help to predict particular women's likelihood of taking maternity leave and can contribute to the consequence of leave-taking for women's health and employment in the short- and long-term.
Accessibility Information
Additional accessibility information
- PDF/UA-2, 1.4
- accessibility@bloomsbury.com
Hazards
The publication contains no hazards
Support for non-visual reading
Has alternative text descriptions for images
Navigation
- Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
Product details
| Published | 19 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (PDF) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 1 |
| ISBN | 9798216268000 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 15 tables |
| Series | Contemporary Perspectives on Social Inequalities in the United States |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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"Unequal Before Birth is a powerful and necessary intervention in the discourse on maternity leave, moving beyond policy description to expose the deeply embedded inequalities shaping the experiences of low-income and racialised mothers. As the author rightly notes, 'if we believe that human life matters, then society's number one priority would be to give all human life the best chances for survival starting from birth.' This book compellingly demonstrates how far current systems fall short of that ideal. By integrating sociocultural history, theory, and lived experience into a coherent and accessible framework, it not only explains the persistence of inequality but also provides a foundation for meaningful reform. This is an essential resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners committed to advancing maternity leave justice."
Abigail Opoku Mensah, University of Professional Studies, Accra

























