I am Anna Claire Church, a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at The Ohio State University. My research interests fall within medical sociology and health, reproduction, gender, and the family. My research agenda is motivated by fundamental questions of how culture, medicine, and axes of inequality shape people’s healthcare experiences, particularly during pregnancy and birth. I primarily use qualitative methods to explore multiple stages of people’s reproductive lives — how they decide if and when to have children, their experiences of pregnancy and birth, postpartum, and parenting.

My work has been published in Social Science & Medicine, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Reproductive Health, and Journal of Primary Care and Community Health.

My dissertation uses the case of gestational diabetes, a condition marked by glucose intolerance that develops during pregnancy, to examine inequality in high-risk pregnancy management, uncertainty and discretion in clinical practice, and partner support and engagement in pregnancy and birth. Through in-depth interviews with those diagnosed, their partners, and medical professionals, I argue that treating and managing gestational diabetes provokes uncertainty and exacerbates existing inequalities and norms of maternal self-sacrifice.

My publications are either linked below or listed on my CV. If you have any issues with accessing a paper, or have any questions for me, please feel free to reach out at church.213@osu.edu.

In this paper, I (1) extend our understanding of how normalized forms of violence shape people's pregnancy and birth experiences and (2) demonstrate how obstetric violence unfolds through interpersonal interactions, the organization of labor in medic

In this paper, I (1) extend our understanding of how normalized forms of violence shape people's pregnancy and birth experiences and (2) demonstrate how obstetric violence unfolds through interpersonal interactions, the organization of labor in medicalized birth, and institutional policies and obstetric practices.

In this paper, I examine women's perceptions and experiences of solitary support from male partners during COVID-19 hospital visitor restrictions. I find that participants reported mixed feelings about birthing with a solitary support person. Margina

In this paper, I examine women's perceptions and experiences of solitary support from male partners during COVID-19 hospital visitor restrictions. I find that participants reported mixed feelings about birthing with a solitary support person. Marginalized women have greater concerns about birth outcomes are more likely to feel afraid or isolated while others valued increased privacy.

In this paper, we use interviews and focus group discussions with reproductive-age women to explore how they perceived and experienced interactions with healthcare providers (HCPs) around their fertility. We find that participants want more informati

In this paper, we use interviews and focus group discussions with reproductive-age women to explore how they perceived and experienced interactions with healthcare providers (HCPs) around their fertility. We find that participants want more information about fertility from their HCPs even if not actively trying to become pregnant, which is not well accounted for in existing pregnancy options or fertility counseling.

This scoping review synthesizes thirty years of research on the determinants of fertility desires in sub-Saharan Africa to better understand what factors underlie men and women's stated fertility desires and how they weigh the costs and benefits of h

This scoping review synthesizes thirty years of research on the determinants of fertility desires in sub-Saharan Africa to better understand what factors underlie men and women's stated fertility desires and how they weigh the costs and benefits of having (more) children. We demonstrate how both traditionally supportive and and contemporary disruptive forces simultaneously influence fertility desires in the region.