IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/poprpr/v41y2022i2d10.1007_s11113-021-09661-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Migration and Contraception among Mexican Women: Assessing Selection, Disruption, and Adaptation

Author

Listed:
  • Chenoa A. Flippen

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Rebecca A. Schut

    (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

Despite the sizeable impact of migration on childbearing, less is known about how it shapes contraceptive use undergirding fertility. We utilize binational survey data collected in 2006/7 by the Migration, Gender, and Health among Immigrant Latinos in Durham, NC study to assess how selection, disruption, and adaptation shape contraceptive use among Mexican migrant women. We address selectivity with respect to both socio-demographic and formative sexual initiation characteristics, comparing migrants to non-migrants in Mexico. We examine the disruptive effect of migration on contraception among migrant women sexually initiated in Mexico. Finally, we compare current methods between Mexican migrants and non-migrants to assess adaptation to U.S. contraceptive practices. We find migrant selectivity is less important than context in shaping immigrant women’s contraceptive practices, though migrant women sexually initiated in the United States exhibit earlier and higher levels of contraceptive use than their migrant peers initiated in Mexico. Migration also disrupts contraceptive trajectories. Many migrants discontinue contraceptive use pre-migration in response to their husbands’ solo migration. Partner separation also reduces contraceptive use immediately after migration. Finally, migrants show numerous signs of adaptation to the U.S. context, mainly via the adoption of oral contraception. The main obstacle for contraceptive use in Durham is lack of information about where to obtain it. Efforts to improve immigrants’ reproductive health should recognize the deleterious effect of policies encouraging family separation. Health care must reach immigrant women soon after arrival, be attuned to pre-migration contraceptive practices, and recognize the unique vulnerabilities of women migrating at older ages.

Suggested Citation

  • Chenoa A. Flippen & Rebecca A. Schut, 2022. "Migration and Contraception among Mexican Women: Assessing Selection, Disruption, and Adaptation," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(2), pages 495-520, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:41:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s11113-021-09661-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-021-09661-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11113-021-09661-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11113-021-09661-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kari White & Joseph E. Potter, 2013. "Patterns of contraceptive use among Mexican-origin women," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 28(41), pages 1199-1212.
    2. Emilio Parrado, 2011. "How High is Hispanic/Mexican Fertility in the United States? Immigration and Tempo Considerations," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(3), pages 1059-1080, August.
    3. Nadja Milewski, 2007. "First child of immigrant workers and their descendants in West Germany," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 17(29), pages 859-896.
    4. Rhodes, S.D. & Mann, L. & Simán, F.M. & Song, E. & Alonzo, J. & Downs, M. & Lawlor, E. & Martinez, O. & Sun, C.J. & O'Brien, M.C. & Reboussin, B.A. & Hall, M.A., 2015. "The impact of local immigration enforcement policies on the health of immigrant Hispanics/Latinos in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(2), pages 329-337.
    5. repec:mpr:mprres:7183 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Parrado, Emilio A. & Flippen, Chenoa, 2010. "Community attachment, neighborhood context, and sex worker use among Hispanic migrants in Durham, North Carolina, USA," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(7), pages 1059-1069, April.
    7. Chenoa A. Flippen & Emilio A. Parrado, 2015. "A Tale of Two Contexts: U.S. Migration and the Labor Force Trajectories of Mexican Women," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 232-259, March.
    8. Philbin, Morgan M. & Flake, Morgan & Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Hirsch, Jennifer S., 2018. "State-level immigration and immigrant-focused policies as drivers of Latino health disparities in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 29-38.
    9. Gutierrez-Vazquez, Edith & Flippen, Chenoa & Parrado, Emilio, 2018. "Migration and depression: A cross-national comparison of Mexicans in sending communities and Durham, NC," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 1-10.
    10. Joseph E. Potter, 1999. "The Persistence of Outmoded Contraceptive Regimes: The Cases of Mexico and Brazil," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 25(4), pages 703-739, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eleonora Mussino & Giuseppe Gabrielli & Anna Paterno & Salvatore Strozza & Laura Terzera, 2015. "Motherhood of foreign women in Lombardy," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 33(23), pages 653-664.
    2. Ben Wilson, 2020. "Understanding How Immigrant Fertility Differentials Vary over the Reproductive Life Course," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(3), pages 465-498, July.
    3. Eder Andres Guarin Rojas & Laura Bernardi & Flurina Schmid, 2018. "First and second births among immigrants and their descendants in Switzerland," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(11), pages 247-286.
    4. Maria-Elena Trinidad Young & Gabriela León-Pérez & Christine R. Wells & Steven P. Wallace, 2018. "More Inclusive States, Less Poverty Among Immigrants? An Examination of Poverty, Citizenship Stratification, and State Immigrant Policies," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(2), pages 205-228, April.
    5. Monika Doshi & William D Lopez & Hannah Mesa & Richard Bryce & Ellen Rabinowitz & Raymond Rion & Paul J Fleming, 2020. "Barriers & facilitators to healthcare and social services among undocumented Latino(a)/Latinx immigrant clients: Perspectives from frontline service providers in Southeast Michigan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, June.
    6. Konstantin Kazenin & Vladimir Kozlov, 2023. "Ethnicity and fertility of descendants of rural-to-urban migrants: the case of Daghestan (North Caucasus)," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 69-93, March.
    7. Gunnar Andersson & Lotta Persson & Ognjen Obućina, 2017. "Depressed fertility among descendants of immigrants in Sweden," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 36(39), pages 1149-1184.
    8. Eleonora Mussino & Ann-Zofie Duvander, 2016. "Use It or Save It? Migration Background and Parental Leave Uptake in Sweden," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 32(2), pages 189-210, May.
    9. Guadalupe Aguilera & Kim Korinek, 2020. "Immigrant Fertility in Comparative Perspective: South Africa and the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(1), pages 297-322, February.
    10. Jonathan Lindström & Eleonora Mussino & Livia Sz. Oláh, 2022. "Childbearing among Polish migrant women and their descendants in Sweden: an origin-destination country approach," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 133-155, March.
    11. Elisabeth K. Kraus & Amparo González-Ferrer, 2023. "Fertility Differences Between Migrants and Stayers in a Polygamous Context: Evidence from Senegal," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 137-164, March.
    12. Padilla, Tatiana & Reyes, Adriana, 2024. "Hitting closer to home: State policies’ impacts on health by race and legal status," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 343(C).
    13. Katharina Wolf, 2016. "Marriage Migration Versus Family Reunification: How Does the Marriage and Migration History Affect the Timing of First and Second Childbirth Among Turkish Immigrants in Germany?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 32(5), pages 731-759, December.
    14. Tianyuan Luo & Cesar L. Escalante, 2021. "Stringent immigration enforcement and the mental health and health‐risk behaviors of Hispanic adolescent students in Arizona," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 86-103, January.
    15. Gunnar Andersson & Boris Sobolev, 2013. "Small Effects of Selective Migration and Selective Survival in Retrospective Studies of Fertility," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 29(3), pages 345-354, August.
    16. Molly Dondero & Claire E. Altman, 2022. "State-Level Immigrant Policy Climates and Health Care Among U.S. Children of Immigrants," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(6), pages 2683-2708, December.
    17. Benavides, Quetzabel & Doshi, Monika & Valentín-Cortés, Mislael & Militzer, Maria & Quiñones, Spring & Kraut, Ruth & Rion, Raymond & Bryce, Richard & Lopez, William D. & Fleming, Paul J., 2021. "Immigration law enforcement, social support, and health for Latino immigrant families in Southeastern Michigan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    18. Marianne Tønnessen, 2020. "Declined Total Fertility Rate Among Immigrants and the Role of Newly Arrived Women in Norway," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(3), pages 547-573, July.
    19. Barbara S. Okun & Shlomit Kagya, 2012. "Fertility Change among Post-1989 Immigrants to I srael from the F ormer S oviet U nion," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 792-827, December.
    20. Marianne Tønnessen & Ben Wilson, 2023. "Visualising Immigrant Fertility -- Profiles of Childbearing and their Implications for Migration Research," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 23-46, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:41:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s11113-021-09661-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.