A systematic review of studies seeking to determine the factors that contribute to disrespect and abuse of women and the effects of disrespect and abuse of women during maternity care Published between January 2015 and March 2021 was conducted through the following databases; PubMed, Google scholar, African Journal Online (AJO), Cochrane library. After searches, 8974 studies were retrieved, after the screening of the studies only 16 studies met the inclusion criteria and were used in this review. The studies were from 11 countries. Using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) quality analysis tool, 81.25 % (n = 13) of the studies were of high quality, 18.75% (n = 3) were of moderate quality and no studies were graded as low quality. Factors of abusive maternity care were categorized into three main groups for more straightforward explanation and system failure was identified as the driver of most abuse factors. If the system or the organisation is not functioning well, it affects the service provider and the recipient of care. Disrespectful maternity care affects women differently with some opting not to utilize health facilities for either antenatal care or delivery, exposing the health of both the mother and the baby to pregnancy and birth complications. This review has identified system failure as the most contributing factor to disrespectful maternity care, including some fee provider and client-driven factors. Disrespectful maternity care exposes women and their unborn babies to pregnancy and childbirth complications and contributes to increased maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Some strategies to prevent and reduce disrespectful maternity care; were identified and were used in other countries with positive results.