The Mothers’ Index indicator was developed and used by Save the Children globally for 15 years. The indicators measure a mother’s health, wellbeing of her children, her education, the family’s economic status and socio-economic status. Scores for each of the five indicators are sorted from low to high and are ranked from 1 to 79 with 1 being the best place for a mother to live.
In comparison with all Victorian LGAs, four SMR LGAs are ranked in the top 10 with Stonnington ranked as 1, Port Phillip ranked as 3, Bayside as 4, and Glen Eira as 5 (Save the Children, 2016).
Kingston (16), Mornington Peninsula (24), Cardinia (27), and Casey (35) received better Mothers’ Index rankings than the Victorian state average (39.8).
However, Frankston (41) and Greater Dandenong (65) received rankings that were higher (therefore poorer) than the state average and indicative of disadvantage.
These rankings demonstrate the diversity of advantage and disadvantage across the SMR. We must consider the social determinants of health through an intersectional lens to understand how the social conditions across the LGAs differentially influence women’s health and access to health services.