PURPOSE:
Muslim individuals remain significantly underrepresented in Canadian midwifery, impacting the workforce, education and clinical care. In light of the increasing diversity in global populations, this underrepresentation raises concerns about equitable access to culturally and religiously concordant care within midwifery. The analysis, framed through Critical Race Theory (CRT), investigates how the lack of Muslim representation affects midwifery education and practice, as well as client-provider relationships. Further, we examined the intersection of race, religion, and gender within midwifery to emphasize the need for cultural safety and inclusion in healthcare settings.

DISCUSSION:
The work examines how systemic barriers such as institutional racism, structural violence, and implicit bias marginalize Muslim students, midwives, and clients. Our findings illustrate that the underrepresentation of Muslim midwives exacerbates barriers for Muslim clients, particularly when accessing gender and religiously concordant care, which results in decreased trust in providers, poorer health outcomes, and limited professional opportunities for Muslim students and midwives.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
Key findings show that the insufficiency of Muslim midwives limits access to religiously and gender-concordant care, especially for Muslims clients who are seeking providers who share or understand their values, contributing to decreased engagement with the healthcare system. Muslim midwives and students have also reported a lack of cultural and religious safety within the workforce and education, hindering representation and retention. These issues infringe Canada’s commitments to equity and social justice in healthcare and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

KEY MESSAGE:
To ensure equitable care for Muslim clients and to address the broader issues of diversity and inclusion within the profession, systemic reforms within both healthcare and educational frameworks are critically needed. We emphasize the importance of incorporating religious safety along with cultural safety into midwifery curricula, followed by policy reforms to increase the retention and recruitment of Muslim midwives. Poster session 4 (Group B)