“A woman like me”: Adriana Páramo’s Looking for Esperanza, ethnographic writing, and the need for an intersectional approach to gender and mobility

South Carolina has one of the fastest-growing Hispanic/Latino populations in the United States, and the majority of the immigrants are of Mexican descent. Historically, most of these immigrants were young men, but in recent years, more women and children have moved from Mexico to South Carolina and other parts of the Southeast. The study presented here investigated the lives of 20 undocumented Mexican women in South Carolina using a grounded theory approach. It found that undocumented women from Mexico have mustered a tremendous amount of strength and resilience in overcoming the cultural, social, economic, and legal barriers of living in the United States. The findings suggest that more research is necessary on the resilience and assets that undocumented women from Mexico bring to the United States.

Four million infants are born in the United States to undocumented mothers. Nebraska granted Medicaid access to undocumented pregnant women from 1996 to 2010 and then discontinued access from 2010 to 2012. However, little is known about the maternal health of these undocumented women. The purpose of this study was to compare maternal health of undocumented women with and without access to Medicaid in Nebraska from 2007 to 2011. A retrospective, longitudinal cohort design was conducted with 2007 to 2011 Nebraska birth certificate data. Study participants were 6,262 undocumented women. Groups of measures were created for demographics, prenatal, pregnancy, and delivery characteristics. Descriptive statistics were calculated and comparisons were conducted between women with and without access to Medicaid using chi-square and Student t tests. More than 60% of undocumented women had access to Medicaid, while 32% had no access to Medicaid. Undocumented women were predominately Hispanic (73.32%) and did not have a high school education (68.77%). The comparison of undocumented women with and without Medicaid revealed that women with Medicaid access had more than adequate prenatal care (17.86% vs. 14.80%) and a higher frequency of infant born with abnormal conditions (6.26% vs. 8.03%). Women without access to Medicaid more often had inadequate prenatal care (10.28% vs. 6.94%) and were obese prior to pregnancy (19.37% vs. 17.37%). Undocumented women who are prenatally obese and lack access to prenatal care may be at increased risk for poor maternal outcomes.

The statistics provide the background. The United Nations estimates that 3 per cent of the world's population (213 million people by 2010) live outside their country of origin.1 Most immigrants move from developing to developed countries, where international migrants constitute more than 10 per cent of the population. Global data for undocumented migrants are difficult to obtain, but estimates suggest that there may be 30 million undocumented migrants worldwide, as many as 11 million in the United States.2 Undocumented immigrants make up 4 per cent of the population of the US and 5.4 per cent of its workforce. Women now constitute more than half (51.4 per cent) of the international migrants in developed countries, only slightly more than 40 years ago. But women today migrate largely in search of their own work and security, rather than as dependents, traveling to live with their husbands.4'5 Studies from the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia report an excess of health problems among undocumented migrants. Poverty, less access to health services contraception, cervical cancer prevention, and prenatal care language barriers, stigma, abuse, and sexual vulnerability put them at greater risk. They experience unplanned pregnancies and labor complications more frequently. Mental illness, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and TB are more common.6"16 Because of fear and discrimination, as well as oppressive working and living situations, women may be unable to get health or social services. In their study 'Self rated and health problems of undocumented immigrant women in the Netherlands, a descriptive study', Schoevers and her co-authors add the voices of immigrant women in the

Undocumented immigrants encounter a myriad of complex barriers to health care access, negatively impacting their health outcomes. In this qualitative study we aimed to understand the barriers to health care for undocumented African immigrant women in the United States as well as how women navigate these barriers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 undocumented African immigrant women. Our findings indicate that undocumented African women experience complex barriers to care which they attempted to navigate. In this study we provide information that healthcare professionals can employ in attending to the health needs of undocumented women and creating safe spaces for them to seek care.

Migrant women’s wellbeing and access to health are particularly impacted by gender inequality and discrimination, traditional female roles, gendered labour market, gender-based violence and feminization of poverty. From an intersectional lens, undocumented migrant women are at the lowest tier in the hierarchy of healthcare access. This research explores the nexus of irregular migration and health spheres in a gender perspective, focusing in particular on the undocumented migrant women’s acts of citizenship. Based on the theoretical framework of fundamental causes, this research analyses the perception of street level bureaucrats, through the conduction of fifteen semi-structured interviews, in 2024–2025, on the endowment to health assets of undocumented migrant women in Sicily, by answering the following research questions: (1) how the undocumented status of migrant women affects their endowment in accessing healthcare?; (2) in what way does the socioeconomic status influence the access of undocumented migrant women to health? and (3) how can undocumented migrant women’s social capital enhance their endowment to health? The research confirms the existence of fundamental causes hindering undocumented migrant women’s access to healthcare, especially regarding the low socioeconomic status and cultural capital of the receiving country. The cause, as low economic status, influences multiple disease outcomes and enhances differential vulnerabilities of undocumented migrant women. In particular, practitioners reported the incidence of precarious housing and working conditions in women’s health.

In the United States, undocumented immigrants often encounter complex challenges that impact their emotional well-being. Existing literature has primarily focused on Latino immigrants. Thus, little is known about the mental health needs of undocumented African immigrant women. To address this gap, we examined the stressors, mental health concerns and coping strategies of undocumented African migrant women in the United States. This qualitative study used a postcolonial feminist framework approach. Twenty-four undocumented African migrant women were interviewed, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings showed that the women dealt with complex stressors created by the sociopolitical environment. These stressors contributed to feelings of depression and anxiety which they coped with using social support and religion. The results uncover the need for culturally relevant tools for screening and addressing the mental health needs of undocumented women and increased awareness amongst healthcare providers on how social context and policies adversely impact the mental health of marginalized groups. Lastly, at a structural level, the need for policy and social change that fosters an inclusive and safe environment for undocumented persons.

BackgroundThe birth outcomes of undocumented women have not been systematically studied on a large scale. The growing number of undocumented women giving birth in the United States has important implications for clinical care and public health policy. The objective of this study was to describe birth outcomes of undocumented immigrants in Colorado.MethodsRetrospective descriptive study of singleton births to 5961 undocumented women using birth certificate data for 1998–1999.ResultsUndocumented mothers were younger, less educated, and more likely to be single. They had higher rates of anemia, were less likely to gain enough weight, and less likely to receive early prenatal care. They were much less likely to use alcohol or tobacco. Undocumented women had a lower rate of low birth weight (5.3% v 6.5%, P < .001) or preterm infants (12.9% v 14.5%; p = .001). Undocumented women experienced higher rates of labor complications including excessive bleeding (2.3% v 0.8%, p < .001) and fetal distress (8.7% v 3.6%, p < .001).ConclusionUndocumented women have lower rates of preterm delivery and low birth weight infants, but higher rates of pregnancy related risk factors. Higher prevalence of some risk factors which are amenable to medical intervention reveals the need for improved prenatal care in this group.

The limited empirical data available on maternal health problems among Mexican immigrant women in the United States suggest that they underutilize health services, especially general preventive care. Research conducted among legal and undocumented women in the Mexican immigrant population in San Diego, California, support these findings. Among undocumented mothers, 11.5% of their births in the U.S. occurred with no prenatal care or care sought in the third trimester, which is much higher than Mexican women legally in the country (3.6%) and the general San Diego maternal population (3.8%). When we examine births which occurred within the last five years by immigration status, we find that women legally in the country have a much higher rate of cesarean delivery of both undocumented women and women in the general San Diego maternal population. Undocumented women in our sample were much less likely than their legal counterparts to return for postpartum examinations for themselves, to seek neonatal care for their infants, and to have had Pap examinations or carry out breast self-examinations.

AMC’s The Walking Dead and Syfy’s Z Nation present post-apocalyptic zombie worlds reflective of both gender and racial politics. In this paper, I argue via a feminist textual analysis that Z Nation serves as a critique of TWD as it tends to intertextually parody TWD’s conservative politics which are deeply entrenched in post-feminist and postracial ideologies. I analyze the multicultural casts, the images of the “strong black woman,” and the featured white male leaders with police/military backgrounds in each of the series. In short, Z Nation’s incorporation of these elements becomes a playful irony that works to critically deconstruct the racial and gendered politics within TWD.

Many undocumented Mexican women in the United States are harmed by sexual and physical violence and limited opportunities. Often living in fear of deportation and without recourse to a legal system that would ensure their safety, they are further isolated, paralyzed, and feel they have no safe place to turn. This article describes the application of narrative therapy to address the mental health needs of undocumented Mexican women subjected to domestic violence. Identifying implicit themes in crossing narratives that relate to identity and relationships before and after a domestic violence experience are explored. This exploration in therapy creates a context for undocumented Mexican women to notice resiliency in their experiences and develop their preferred life narratives. A summary of the “absent but implicit” approach with one case example illustrates the effects and possibilities of narrative therapy within this unique therapeutic context.

Introduction: Numerous undocumented immigrant women in the United States have survived rape, and many have experienced physical and psychological consequences. Although rape disclosure can facilitate early intervention and improve health outcomes, most undocumented immigrant women do not disclose rape, and little is known about their post-rape experiences. Methods: This critical ethnography explored the post-rape experiences of undocumented immigrant women of Mexican (UIWM) origin living in the U.S. Mexico border region. Data collection and analysis were guided by Carspecken's framework for critical qualitative research. Six women, who identified as UIWM participated in the study. Each was interviewed using a semistructured approach. Results: Interview data revealed three domains: Glimpses of Support, Barrier After Barrier, and Overcoming. In accordance with Carspecken's framework, a theoretical lens was applied to these domains. The application of Feminist Intersectional Theory and Standpoint Theory united the domains into the theme Struggling to Heal. Conclusion: This study suggests that the marginalization of these survivors detrimentally impacts their post-rape experiences and describes the intersections of multiple forces on their experiences, including the cultural and sociopolitical context of the border region. This study lays the foundation for future research aimed at mitigating disclosure and help-seeking barriers for this marginalized group.

Borderlands are redefined by the hardening of borders, through border walls, increased internal controls, toughened immigration laws, which creates a climate of fear for undocumented migrants. Over the past years, some states and cities in the United States have enacted restrictive policies regarding access to State-provided services, such as healthcare. The impact of these laws needs to be assessed through the gender lens. This paper uses the metaphor of cages to delve on the study of undocumented migrant women’s access to healthcare services when the intersection of immigration and healthcare laws creates a restrictive environment, through the case study of Arizona and Texas. It first analyzes the impact on undocumented migrant women’s physical health, addressing preventive and emergency care and reproductive and sexual healthcare. Secondly, it addresses the impact of that intersection on women’s psychological health, assessing how these policies, when combined, worsen the impacts of past traumas and create new ones while restricting access to psychological services. It demonstrates that undocumented migrant women are affected in specific ways by the intersection of immigration and healthcare laws as it exacerbates the multiple oppressions they experience as low-income women of color without legal status.

Mexican undocumented immigrant women in the United States survive in a very hostile environment every day, exposing them to sociopolitical and personal factors that could put them at risk of becoming victims due to their immigration status. This might result in detention, incarceration, deportation, health issues, emotional stress, and traumas. This entry considers some of the challenges facing undocumented immigrant women in the United States, specifically in Arizona. Based on qualitative analysis of real‐life experiences, the entry helps draw a picture of the increasingly complex problems of undocumented immigration, particularly those facing undocumented Hispanic women.

The status of undocumented immigrants and current immigration legislative proposals are the subject of heated debate with both political and economic implications often overshadowing the needs of undocumented victims of abuse. This article will focus on the plight of undocumented women and children who are victims of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse perpetrated by their spouse or parent who is a citizen of the United States (by birth or naturalization). We will review the magnitude of this problem, provide a brief history of current legal protections and the potential for the U-Visa as a tool for obtaining citizenship for these victims, note the particular barriers to reporting abuse and seeking help for undocumented battered women, and suggest both nursing practices and broader advocacy to aid on overcoming the significant obstacles to accessing services faced by this vulnerable population. Although men are also victims of similar abuses and circumstance, this article will focus on victimized women and children.

Undocumented Mexican immigrant women's direct sales work in New York City