“Not Heard, Not Recognised”: Stereotyping and Inequities in Healthcare for Women of Maghreb Origin

Background

Healthcare is shaped by systemic racism, with stereotyping by healthcare professionals influencing interactions with racialised patients, care processes, and ultimately the quality of care delivered. This is particularly evident among women of Maghreb origin, who are often subject to assumptions rooted in prejudices about their religious and cultural backgrounds. This study aimed to explore stereotyping processes and their impact on the quality of healthcare received by women of Maghreb origin.

Methods

A qualitative study with a descriptive-interpretive design was conducted, based on in-depth interviews with healthcare professionals and patients in Spain. The sample included 11 healthcare professionals (primary care physicians and nurses, five of whom were racialised) and 12 women of Maghreb origin (four born in Spain to migrant families). Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Professionals identified that stereotyping takes the form of infantilisation and inferiorisation, affecting even Maghreb-origin women born in Spain or migrants with high language proficiency. These dynamics shape communication, making it unidirectional and simplified, and often failing to recognise women as legitimate interlocutors in decisions about their own health. Women reported feeling questioned, particularly regarding their reproductive choices. Visible markers such as the veil emerged as key elements of othering, leading professionals to assume limited language proficiency or reduced capacity to understand diagnoses and treatments. This contributes to dissatisfaction with healthcare.

Conclusions

Stereotyping in healthcare leads to limited patient participation and dissatisfaction among women of Maghreb origin. Addressing these inequities requires culturally responsive and anti-racist training, alongside protocols promoting equitable communication and shared decision-making, to improve care quality and prevent adverse health outcomes.

Key messages

• Women of Maghreb origin often face social vulnerability; healthcare systems must avoid reinforcing these inequities through discriminatory practices and ensure equitable, respectful care.

• Healthcare systems must be free of racial stereotyping, as biases in diagnosis and treatment directly affect the quality, safety, and equity of care for racialised populations.