Page 119 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
P. 119
Migrant Women’s Perspectives
on Reproductive Health Issues
and Their Healthcare Encounters
Mirko Prosen
University of Primorska, Slovenia
mirko.prosen@fvz.upr.si
Sabina Ličen
University of Primorska, Slovenia
sabina.licen@fvz.upr.si
Urška Bogataj
University of Primorska, Slovenia
urska.bogataj@fvz.upr.si
Doroteja Rebec
University of Primorska, Slovenia
doroteja.rebec@fvz.upr.si
Igor Karnjuš
University of Primorska, Slovenia
igor.karnjus@fvz.upr.si
Migration exposes women to greater health risks and health disparities.
Healthcare professionals need to identify, prioritise and address these needs
and risks in a holistic manner. The chapter explores migrant women’s experi-
ences with the health system and specifically their perspectives on reproduc-
tive health issues within the host country’s healthcare system. A descriptive
qualitative study using a qualitative content analysis approach was conducted
in a maternity hospital in Slovenia. The purposive sample included 10 mi-
grant women. The analysis yielded two themes: (1) experiences, expectations
and barriers of a different healthcare system; and (2) the impact of culture-
based beliefs on women’s reproductive health. The majority of the interviewed
women felt they had received culturally responsive care, even though the lan-
guage barrier was seen as one of the biggest obstacles in accessing healthcare.
From the perspective of sexual and reproductive health, their migration was
liberating for the women. Healthcare professionals need to learn more about
cultural-based health practices since some of them are harmful to women and
require their attention in the future.
Introduction
Migrants have had a considerable impact on population demographics in the
European Union (EU) in the last decade. During this period, push and pull
117
on Reproductive Health Issues
and Their Healthcare Encounters
Mirko Prosen
University of Primorska, Slovenia
mirko.prosen@fvz.upr.si
Sabina Ličen
University of Primorska, Slovenia
sabina.licen@fvz.upr.si
Urška Bogataj
University of Primorska, Slovenia
urska.bogataj@fvz.upr.si
Doroteja Rebec
University of Primorska, Slovenia
doroteja.rebec@fvz.upr.si
Igor Karnjuš
University of Primorska, Slovenia
igor.karnjus@fvz.upr.si
Migration exposes women to greater health risks and health disparities.
Healthcare professionals need to identify, prioritise and address these needs
and risks in a holistic manner. The chapter explores migrant women’s experi-
ences with the health system and specifically their perspectives on reproduc-
tive health issues within the host country’s healthcare system. A descriptive
qualitative study using a qualitative content analysis approach was conducted
in a maternity hospital in Slovenia. The purposive sample included 10 mi-
grant women. The analysis yielded two themes: (1) experiences, expectations
and barriers of a different healthcare system; and (2) the impact of culture-
based beliefs on women’s reproductive health. The majority of the interviewed
women felt they had received culturally responsive care, even though the lan-
guage barrier was seen as one of the biggest obstacles in accessing healthcare.
From the perspective of sexual and reproductive health, their migration was
liberating for the women. Healthcare professionals need to learn more about
cultural-based health practices since some of them are harmful to women and
require their attention in the future.
Introduction
Migrants have had a considerable impact on population demographics in the
European Union (EU) in the last decade. During this period, push and pull
117
