Women's roles and women's health: The effect of immigration on latina women

Abstract

S everal articles in the literature address the health beliefs and practices of immigrant Latinos. It is well established that a woman’s roles, and her ability to carry them out, have a significant effect on her health and the health of her family. As a clinician caring for immigrant women from Mexico, I sought to consider how Latina women’s health and the health of their families may be impacted by the immigration process itself. Data on the effects of international migration are scant.’ In the United States, female immigrants outnumber male immigrants. These women face a number of barriers, including language difficulties, nationality differences, gender bias, limited skills or resources, physical dangers, and the absence of family or other social support networks. Overcoming these barriers requires women to make numerous adjustments in their many roles and has been identified as an area in which additional research is needed.* The necessity for further research is evident when one considers that most health concerns of women are enmeshed with the financial and social aspects of their lives. Social science research relating to women’s health must continue and must be complemented by traditional biomedical model approaches. I draw from clinic experiences and present selected research findings in order to illustrate the implications of immigration on the roles of Mexican women in the United States. With the effects of immigration becoming a growing concern, my goal is to affirm the importance of this type of research and to encourage clinicians and planners to consider socioeconomic issues when developing health programs targeting women.