Negotiating and Constructing Place: African Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Experiences Seeking Reproductive Health Information, Services and Support

African immigrant women and refugee women face disproportionate reproductive health risks and adverse outcomes compared with the Canadian population. The diversity of African women and complexity of the migration process suggest the need for contextualized knowledge to better understand these challenges. I sought such knowledge through the use of the theoretical frameworks of place and intersectionality. These frameworks draw attention to the multi-level mixture of social relations in given contexts and how they create opportunities and oppression. The specific purpose of this research was to: a) explore how the reproductive health experiences of African immigrant and refugee women were shaped by the unique context of given places; b) consider how these women actively negotiated and constructed place in their search for reproductive health information, services, and support. A multiple case study was used to explore the reproductive health experiences of African immigrant and refugee women in three different areas of Ottawa, Ontario. These areas provided different local contexts (e.g., history, socioeconomic profile, proximity to downtown). In each area, data was collected through interviews with African immigrant and refugee women, interviews and focus groups with reproductive health service providers, and mapping of available services. In total, 19 immigrant and refugee women and 23 service providers participated in this study. The findings showed that African immigrant and refugee women’s reproductive health experiences were much more complicated than simple interaction with neighbourhood services. Their varied social positions in Canadian society were highly relevant. In addition, social networks based in places outside of the system (e.g., private homes, religious institutions) were environments in which they were comfortable and sought support for their reproductive health needs. Recommendations based on these findings include the need to engage communities and explore the delivery of information and services outside of the traditional places employed by the Canadian health care system.

Grantor dc:publisher

Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa

Year dc:date

2017

Author dc:creator

• Greenwood, Heather Louise

Contributors dc:contributor

• Spitzer, Denise

• immigrant health
• refugee health
• reproductive health
• women's health
• intersectionality
• place

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-20897

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/36617