title: [The challenge of maternity in Spain: social and health difficulties].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present article reviews the recent literature on various issues related to maternity services and fertility in Spain and elsewhere.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information obtained from several official sources, technical reports, and the scientific literature produced in the last 5 years were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Maternity is assigned insufficient importance due to cultural changes, women's difficulties in the labor market, inadequate public policies to support families, and deficiencies in the quality of pre- and postdelivery maternity care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased fertility rates may transform the organization of productive and reproductive work and the development of health and social services, and may stimulate improvement in institutional support.
authors.affiliation: Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Red de Investigación de Salud y Género, Granada, España. gracia@easp.es
authors.forename: Gracia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maroto-Navarro
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: del Mar García-Calvente
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mateo-Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001723:Birth Rate / Q000639:trends; D003267:Contraception / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008429:Maternal Welfare / Q000639:trends; D018743:Perinatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D012944:Social Support; D013030:Spain; D014931:Women, Working / Q000706:statistics & numerical data