Migrant Women

Abstract

Women across the world migrate for a wide range of reasons. Some gravitate to towns and cities in their own countries seeking safety, education, health care, and employment opportunities. Others cross international boundaries, fleeing from the atrocities of war and extreme poverty. Migration within countries is also on the rise, as people move seeking resources, services, education, and employment opportunities. In addition, they may want to escape from violence or natural disasters. This movement of people from rural to urban areas has resulted in an explosive growth of cities around the globe. Women migrate to enhance their life experiences and that of their children and kinsfolk. This chapter draws on a research case study undertaken with the Kewapi language group in Port Moresby and the Batri Villages of the Southern Highlands in Papua New Guinea. It highlights the perspectives of women migrating from their home communities in order to seek education and health care. It explores the implications for developing user-focused health care systems designed to meet the needs of mobile and vulnerable women. The study suggests that if women and their families from remote rural communities participate in health promoting initiatives, they can dramatically improve their life and health experiences and that of their community.