Page 120 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
P. 120
ko Prosen, Sabina Ličen, Urška Bogataj, Doroteja Rebec, and Igor Karnjuš
factors have changed dramatically, accompanied by new migration trends.
Among others, migrant women are today slowly becoming the majority of
migrants around the world and not just in the EU where it is estimated that
women also make up a significant proportion of undocumented migrants
(Jayaweera, 2018). The migration of women may be driven by individual fac-
tors, such as marital or reproductive status, education and skills, or by family
or social factors like status or class (Fleury, 2016). In this context, migration can
provide new opportunities for women either on their own or together with
their spouses to improve their lives, escape oppressive social norms, and sup-
port children and other family members who are left behind. However, mi-
gration also exposes them to a series of vulnerable situations resulting from
a precarious legal status, abusive working conditions, physical violence and
health risks (de Leon Siantz, 2013; Fleury, 2016; Jayaweera, 2018).
Women’s health risks related to migration vary. Migration may result in
a worsening or an improvement of a woman’s health. The resulting health
impact of migration is generally determined by the conditions in which the
migration occurred, the extent of integration, the woman’s social status and
the prevailing health conditions in the host country (Adanu & Johnson, 2009;
Hargreaves & Friedland, 2013). Jayaweera (2018) listed multiple determinants
of migrants’ health status which indirectly or directly affect their health.
These include biology, demography, socio-economic circumstances before,
during and after migration, emigration policies in the sending countries and
immigration and integration policies in the host countries, cultural tradi-
tions and cultural identity, social networks including transnational networks,
length of residence in host countries, and impact of racism and discrimina-
tion. These and other determinants put women migrants at a disadvantage
compared to male migrants for several reasons, where being both a woman
and a migrant dominates. There is widespread evidence that women mi-
grants face greater health disparities (Adanu & Johnson, 2009; Hargreaves &
Friedland, 2013; Robertson, 2015), specifically greater health disparities re-
lated with sexual and reproductive health (Hargreaves & Friedland, 2013;
Merry, Vangen, & Small, 2016; Perez Ramirez, Garcia-Garcia, & Peralta-Ramirez,
2013; Reeske & Razum, 2011; Saadi, Bond, & Percac-Lima, 2015; Smith, LeVoy,
Mahmood, & Mercer, 2016). It has also been established that migrant women
may often not have reliable access to healthcare or reproductive healthcare,
which in turn negatively impacts maternal and perinatal outcomes (Fleury,
2016).
While most governments in the world recognise health as a basic hu-
man right and all EU member states have legally recognised the right to
118
factors have changed dramatically, accompanied by new migration trends.
Among others, migrant women are today slowly becoming the majority of
migrants around the world and not just in the EU where it is estimated that
women also make up a significant proportion of undocumented migrants
(Jayaweera, 2018). The migration of women may be driven by individual fac-
tors, such as marital or reproductive status, education and skills, or by family
or social factors like status or class (Fleury, 2016). In this context, migration can
provide new opportunities for women either on their own or together with
their spouses to improve their lives, escape oppressive social norms, and sup-
port children and other family members who are left behind. However, mi-
gration also exposes them to a series of vulnerable situations resulting from
a precarious legal status, abusive working conditions, physical violence and
health risks (de Leon Siantz, 2013; Fleury, 2016; Jayaweera, 2018).
Women’s health risks related to migration vary. Migration may result in
a worsening or an improvement of a woman’s health. The resulting health
impact of migration is generally determined by the conditions in which the
migration occurred, the extent of integration, the woman’s social status and
the prevailing health conditions in the host country (Adanu & Johnson, 2009;
Hargreaves & Friedland, 2013). Jayaweera (2018) listed multiple determinants
of migrants’ health status which indirectly or directly affect their health.
These include biology, demography, socio-economic circumstances before,
during and after migration, emigration policies in the sending countries and
immigration and integration policies in the host countries, cultural tradi-
tions and cultural identity, social networks including transnational networks,
length of residence in host countries, and impact of racism and discrimina-
tion. These and other determinants put women migrants at a disadvantage
compared to male migrants for several reasons, where being both a woman
and a migrant dominates. There is widespread evidence that women mi-
grants face greater health disparities (Adanu & Johnson, 2009; Hargreaves &
Friedland, 2013; Robertson, 2015), specifically greater health disparities re-
lated with sexual and reproductive health (Hargreaves & Friedland, 2013;
Merry, Vangen, & Small, 2016; Perez Ramirez, Garcia-Garcia, & Peralta-Ramirez,
2013; Reeske & Razum, 2011; Saadi, Bond, & Percac-Lima, 2015; Smith, LeVoy,
Mahmood, & Mercer, 2016). It has also been established that migrant women
may often not have reliable access to healthcare or reproductive healthcare,
which in turn negatively impacts maternal and perinatal outcomes (Fleury,
2016).
While most governments in the world recognise health as a basic hu-
man right and all EU member states have legally recognised the right to
118
