Abstract
OBJECTIVE: to describe the experience of Latin American working women regarding immigration, taking into account the expectations and conditions in which this process takes place. METHOD: ethnographic qualitative study. Data collection was performed by means of semi-structured interviews with 24 Latin American immigrant women in Spain. The information collected was triangulated through two focal groups. RESULTS: the expectations of migrant women focus on improving family living conditions. Social support is essential for their settling and to perform daily life activities. They declare they have adapted to the settlement country, although they live with stress. They perceive they have greater sexual freedom and power with their partners but keep greater responsibility in childcare, combining that with the role of working woman. CONCLUSIONS: migrant women play a key role in the survival of households, they build and create new meanings about being a woman, their understanding of life, their social and couple relationships. Such importance is shaped by their expectations and the conditions in which the migration process takes place, as well as their work integration.
Highlights
Female migration from Latin America experienced a sustainable growth from 1960 until the year 2000, from 44.7% to 50.5%, respectively[1]
This shows an increasing number of women who decided to migrate as an individual decision or as part of a family survival strategy, a situation that is added to traditional migration for family regrouping reasons[3]
It is important to know the conditions and personal repercussions experienced by migrant women in the destination countries, who are usually placed in working activities related to reproductive care
Summary
Female migration from Latin America experienced a sustainable growth from 1960 until the year 2000, from 44.7% to 50.5%, respectively[1]. If we consider migration as a transition process, where people must experience adaptation situations, going from one situation to another, we must consider the aspects that have an influence on this phenomenon, framed in changes of lifestyle, health, interactions and social environments[7]. In this sense, it is important to know the conditions and personal repercussions experienced by migrant women in the destination countries, who are usually placed in working activities related to reproductive care
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