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Intersection of Migration and Access to Health Care: Experiences and Perceptions of Female Economic Migrants in Canada

Author

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  • Solina Richter

    (Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405, 87th Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada)

  • Helen Vallianatos

    (Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, 13-15 Tory Building, Edmonton, AB T6G2H4, Canada)

  • Jacqueline Green

    (Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, 13-15 Tory Building, Edmonton, AB T6G2H4, Canada)

  • Chioma Obuekwe

    (Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405, 87th Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada)

Abstract

More people are migrating than ever before. There are an estimated 1 billion migrants globally—of whom, 258 million are international migrants and 763 million are internal migrants. Almost half of these migrants are women, and most are of reproductive age. Female migration has increased. The socioeconomic contexts of women migrants need investigation to better understand how migration intersects with accessing health care. We employed a focused ethnography design. We recruited 29 women from three African countries: Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. We used purposive and convenient sampling techniques and collected data using face-to-face interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed with the support of ATLAS.ti 8 Windows (ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH), a computer-based qualitative software for data management. We interviewed 10 women from both South Africa and Ghana and nine women from Nigeria. Their ages ranged between 24 and 64 years. The four themes that developed included social connectedness to navigate access to care, the influence of place of origin on access to care, experiences of financial accessibility, and historical and cultural orientation to accessing health care. It was clear that theses factors affected economic migrant women’s access to health care after migration. Canada has a universal health care system but multiple research studies have documented that migrants have significant barriers to accessing health care. Most migrants indeed arrive in Canada from a health care system that is very different than their country of origin. Access to health care is one of the most important social determinants of health.

Suggested Citation

  • Solina Richter & Helen Vallianatos & Jacqueline Green & Chioma Obuekwe, 2020. "Intersection of Migration and Access to Health Care: Experiences and Perceptions of Female Economic Migrants in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-11, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:10:p:3682-:d:362052
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cécile Rousseau & Youssef Oulhote & Mónica Ruiz-Casares & Janet Cleveland & Christina Greenaway, 2017. "Encouraging understanding or increasing prejudices: A cross-sectional survey of institutional influence on health personnel attitudes about refugee claimants' access to health care," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, February.
    2. Maelan Le Goff, 2016. "Feminization of migration and trends in remittances," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 220-220, January.
    3. Bowleg, L., 2012. "The problem with the phrase women and minorities: Intersectionality-an important theoretical framework for public health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(7), pages 1267-1273.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Niraula, Ashika & Ratti, Nicole & Colley, Michele & Rosenberg, Mark & Ghassemi, Effat & Wilson, Kathi, 2023. "Negotiating precarity: Recent immigrants’ perceptions of waiting for public healthcare in Ontario, Canada," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    3. Thabiso Moeti & Tholang Mokhele & Gina Weir-Smith & Simangele Dlamini & Solomon Tesfamicheal, 2023. "Factors Affecting Access to Public Healthcare Facilities in the City of Tshwane, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    4. Satrio Nindyo Istiko & Jo Durham & Lana Elliott, 2022. "(Not That) Essential: A Scoping Review of Migrant Workers’ Access to Health Services and Social Protection during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-13, March.
    5. Andrea Rishworth & Tiffany Cao & Ashika Niraula & Kathi Wilson, 2022. "Health Care Use and Barriers to Care for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases (CID) among First and Second Generation South Asian Immigrant Children and Parents in Ontario Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-19, November.

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