Maternal Healthcare in Kenya – An Institutional Perspective of Women’s Agency

Existing research in the developing context demonstrates that women's agency is an essential factor influencing women's health, including sexual and reproductive health and rights. Improving women's agency is crucial for reducing gendered health disparities and advancing gender equality. Institutions, social structures with a high degree of resilience, can enable or constrain healthcare organizations' capacity to effectively deliver maternal health interventions. Simultaneously, healthcare organizations exert institutional forces that influence women's health agency. This thesis explores the role of institutions in influencing maternal healthcare experiences and health agency as a strategy to improve women's agency and maternal health.