E Hine

Abstract

Young Māori (Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) women and their babies experience more health disparities than their non-Māori counterparts. These disparities arise from multiple determinants, including racism and stigmatization. This chapter explores the pregnancy, birth, and motherhood journeys of 15 young Māori women using a Foucauldian theoretical approach. Their experiences indicate that Māori women are subject to Eurocentric medical, disciplinary, and colonial gazes—through exclusionary health, education, and social services, and public prejudices—that see them as abnormal and in need of regulation. Often with the support of their whānau (families), the participants challenged assumptions about teen mothers. They strove to be the best parents that they could be, often re-engaging with education and working hard to provide a positive future for themselves and their children.