This paper aims at understanding how mothers’ socio-economic conditions perpetuated their
maternal illness conditions and low health care status. Using in-depth interview as a
methodological tool the study was conducted among the mothers, who had given birth to at least
one child or became pregnant at least once in the last five years preceeding the survey, in two
slums and two health care facilities in Dhaka. The major findings suggests that in the urban
context, where health care facilities are mostly in close proximity of the mothers, the reason for
their inadequate health care for childbirth and post-partum care may lie in the socio-cultural
atmosphere of the urban slum the mothers live in e.g., social network, availability of information,
support network from family and neighborhood etc. as well as the ‘personal characteristics’ of
mothers like education, age and self-esteem. Together, the social arrangements and personal
characteristics may hinder mothers from being ‘capable’ enough to achieve the optimum
‘functioning’ by using their limited resources and money. And this leads to morbidity conditions
during and after delivery.