Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA-TILE) released the 2025 California Equity in Maternal Health Report. The innovative study centers the voices of more than 800 Black women and Latinas across California on their maternal health experiences. This report builds on work initiated in 2023, when HOPE and BWOPA jointly explored mental healthcare equity for Black women and Latinas, and continues the effort to elevate the lived experiences of two groups who face some of the most severe maternal health disparities in the state and nation.
While many studies have looked at maternal health disparities, few have examined the unique and overlapping challenges faced by Black women and Latinas side by side. By bringing these two communities together in the research, this report shines a light on the systemic inequities that impact them both and outlines solutions driven by their voices and priorities.
“This report is a call to action,” said Helen Iris Torres, CEO of HOPE. “Black women and Latinas are telling us loud and clear that the system is not working for them. By investing in holistic, whole-family care, increasing representation in the maternal healthcare workforce, and advancing policies that support women and all individuals who can become pregnant—before, during, and after pregnancy—we will not only improve outcomes for Black women and Latinas, we will strengthen the health and wellbeing of entire communities and families.”
“Maternal health inequities are not just statistics; they are lived realities deeply embedded in the everyday experiences of Black women and Latinas across California,” said LaNiece Jones, State Executive Director of BWOPA-TILE. “Behind each data point is a mother, a family, and a story of navigating a healthcare system that too often fails to listen, support, or protect. This report gives those women a platform, amplifying their voices and ensuring their experiences drive long-overdue systemic change. We cannot continue to allow structural racism and cultural disregard to shape maternal health outcomes. It’s time to honor the truth these women have shared and use it to transform care, policy, and practice for future generations.”
Key findings from the report include:
• One in four Black women and Latinas find it
difficult to access obstetric and gynecological
care, and nearly one-third report difficulty
accessing routine healthcare services.
• A majority, 57 percent, report experiencing
unfair or adverse treatment during pregnancy
or birth, yet nearly 60 percent do not know
how to file a complaint when discrimination
occurs.
• Confidence in California’s birthing health
systems is alarmingly low: 60 percent of
respondents either don’t know how often they
can trust the system, say it can “never” be
trusted, or only trust it “some of the time.”
• Economic insecurity and health concerns
weigh heavily in decisions about childbearing,
with 74 percent citing these factors as part of
their decision-making process.
• Depression, 55 percent, and anxiety, 43
percent, are common experiences during preg
nancy and postpartum, yet nearly half did not
receive mental health screening.
Black women and Latinas have a clear vision for how to advance equity in maternal health and address health disparities, including placing a priority on increasing the number of Black and Latina maternal care providers, expanding paid family leave, and investing in support services like mental health care, nutrition counseling, and childcare.
