Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska instttutet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.A. (Population and Reproductive Health Research))--Mahidol University, 2000.

Thesis (M.A. (Population and Reproductive Health Research))--Mahidol University, 2003.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1944.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1944.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1944.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1944.

This thesis adopts maternal well-being as a prism for studying the roles and identities of African women. It critically analyzes the dynamics in culture and religion that militate against women's quest for fullness of life. As its methodology, it adopts narratives of African women as a source and means of theological research based on the anthropological model. This method prioritizes the voices and humanity of previously silenced, excluded, and oppressed women and their conditions of maternal mortality, poverty, and oppression rooted in gender biases and patriarchal stereotypes. Theology has largely ignored the reality of maternal mortality evidenced by the paucity of theological materials. A consequence of the neglect and ignorance of this critical factor is the chasm between the rhetorical use of feminine and maternal symbolisms to represent and define the significance of women in church and society and the concrete realities that confront them as women. Bridging this gap necessitates identifying exemplary icons and models of maternal leadership and wisdom in scripture, traditions, and cultural practices to redefine the status, identity, and role of women. It also entails recognizing and harnessing the unique gifts, qualities, and spirituality of African women for the edification of church, transformation of society, and flourishing of humanity. Of salience is the practice of maternal leadership as a source of a new ethos for church and society through women's capacities and contributions, though a patriarchal mind-set imposes biological motherhood as the sole criterion for defining women's existence and relevance. Maternal leadership and wisdom liberated from a reductionist, biological understanding of motherhood and the highlighting of incarnated roles and identities inspired by maternal values represent innovative and original aspects of this thesis. Only by listening to voices of women can church and society develop a more just, liberating, and inclusive understanding of womanhood and motherhood. Nothing substitutes for the voices of women.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Maternal mortality is one of the most important problems related to the reproductive health. This is why the reduction by three quarters of maternal mortality by 2015 has been fixed as target No. 5 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Achieving this goal requires an annual decline of 5.5% of maternal mortality between 1990 and 2015. Unfortunately, the reduction as estimated in 1997 was less than 1% per year. Africa is the continent most affected by this problem. In 2010, the number of maternal mortality in the world was estimated to 287 000 and Africa was hosting more than 52 % (148 000) of the occurrence in the world In Burkina Faso, maternal mortality ratio decreased from 566 in 1991 to 484 in 1998 and 341 in 2010 according to the DHS data while the census estimate was 307 in 2006 and United Nation agencies provided the number of 300 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births in 2010. Statistics provided by the different sources vary considerably. This situation creates confusion among data users. In addition, researches made on the issue remain very insufficient because of the complexity of the issue, lack of data and poor quality of existing data on maternal mortality. This study has been initiated to fill the gap of knowledge about the determinants and estimates of maternal mortality at national and sub-national levels. Results of this research highlighted explanatory factors of maternal mortality at national and regional level with a focus on factors of regional disparities. Findings also provided estimate by adjusting the census 2006 data from missingness and incoherences, improving the census method and testing different other methods. Finally, projection of maternal mortality level is made from 2006 to 2050.