“When I came to Canada, I almost forgot myself

Where I am, who I am”: A qualitative exploration of how im/migration shapes young women's experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and marriage

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21258175
AutoresStefanie Machado (0000-0002-9006-8951, Simon Fraser University), Sajedeh Zaki, Reyna Villasin, Nicole S Berry (0000-0001-6566-6768, Simon Fraser University), Ruth Lavergne (Dalhousie University), Mei-ling Wiedmeyer (0000-0002-9882-0415), Andrea Krüsi (0000-0002-2531-8192), Shira M Goldenberg (0000-0003-1633-9749, San Diego State University, autor correspondente)
Ano2023
Volume4
Páginas100299
Data de publicação2023-12-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSSM - Qualitative Research in Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2667-3215 • E-ISSN: 2667-3215
EditoraElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100299
OpenAlexW4382132888
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas33

For young women, im/migration can impact education, employment, and family dynamics in ways that shape the courses of their lives and health. The purpose of this study is to deepen understandings of how im/migration shapes young women's experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and marriage. Guided by intersectionality theory and the structural and social determinants of health, we analyzed qualitative interviews conducted with young im/migrants ages 15-30, who identify as women, and who had experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and/or marriage (N = 34). Participants were interviewed as part of the IRIS study in British Columbia, Canada between May 2019 to February 2021. Young im/migrant women described how im/migration shaped experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and marriage by way of health, social, legal, and economic drivers. These included being ineligible for health insurance and unable to prevent pregnancy and experiencing workplace discrimination in form of reduced hours and no maternity benefits. Demanding caregiving roles and unsafe home environments were also described as being exacerbated by unaffordable childcare in destination settings and unequal gender roles and power dynamics after im/migration. Our findings suggest structural changes necessary to improve young im/migrant women's health. We recommend that health systems decouple im/migration status from health insurance; that governments provide all people with accessible childcare and maternity benefits; and that governments fund community-based efforts towards dismantling structures of patriarchy

Intersectionality · Patriarchy · Population · Pregnancy · Qualitative research · Reproductive health · Sociology · Demography · Gender Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology