Racial health disparities still exist for Black women who have recently become mothers and their newborns. New research published in January 2023 by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that the richest mothers and their newborns are the most likely to survive the year after childbirth except when the child is black. The study concluded that the richest Black mothers and their babies were twice as likely to die as the richest white mothers and their babies. The research evaluated 2 million births by first-time mothers in California.

Infants born premature to poor parents are less likely to survive and thrive. Yet, babies born to the richest parents are often the least healthy because of a higher rate of premature and low birth weight deliveries. During childbirth Black mothers are often denied access to available interventions. Maternal mortality is higher in the U.S. than in 10 other countries surveyed in the study. New Zealand and Norway have the lowest number of deaths at 5 per 100,000 births. In the U.S. 17.4 deaths were recorded per 100,000 births.   

Dr. Amanda P. Williams, the clinical innovation adviser at the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative told the New York Times that “even when it’s not about the direct disrespect that’s going on between the patient and the care provider, there are many ways systemic racism makes its way into the well-being of a pregnant or birthing person.”