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- Title
Inclusiveness of Access Policies to Maternity Care for Migrant Women Across Europe: A Policy Review.
- Authors
Pařízková, Alena; Clausen, Jette Aaroe; Balaam, Marie-Clare; Haith-Cooper, Melanie; Roosalu, Triin; Migliorini, Laura; Kasper, Anne
- Abstract
Introduction: Despite the interconnectedness of the European Union, there are significant variations in pregnant women's legal status as migrants and therefore their ability to access maternity care. Limited access to maternity care can lead to higher morbidity and mortality rates in migrant women and their babies. This study aimed to investigate and compare maternal health access policies and the context in which they operate across European countries for women who have migrated and are not considered citizens of the host country. Methods: The study adopted a mixed-methods research design exploring policies on migrant women's access to maternity care across the migration regimes. Data were extracted from legal documents and research reports to construct a new typology to identify the inclusiveness of policies determining access to maternity care for migrant women. Results: This study found inconsistency in the categorisation of migrants across countries and significant disparities in access to maternity care for migrant women within and between European countries. A lack of connection between access policies and migration regimes, along with a lack of fit between policies and public support for migration suggests a low level of path dependency and leaves space for policy innovation. Discussion: Inequities and inconsistencies in policies across European countries affect non-citizen migrant women's access to maternity care. These policies act to reproduce structural inequalities which compromise the health of vulnerable women and newborns in reception countries. There is an urgent need to address this inequity, which discriminates against these already marginalised women. Significance: Some migrant women in Europe struggle to access maternity care when compared to non-migrant women, resulting in poorer pregnancy outcomes. Systematic inconsistencies in maternal health care access policies across Europe reveal the extent of inequity faced by vulnerable migrant women. Our analysis demonstrated significant policy differences across and within migration regimes, but also highlighted that some countries do not have a good fit between policies regulating migrants' access to maternity care and public or policy level support for migrants. This points to limited relevance of path dependency in these policies, suggesting that a more inclusive approach across Europe might be possible.
- Subjects
EUROPE; MATERNAL health services; HEALTH services accessibility; RESEARCH methodology; MIGRANT labor; QUALITATIVE research; PSYCHOSOCIAL factors; PSYCHOLOGY of women; RESEARCH funding; HEALTH equity; THEMATIC analysis; CONCEPTS
- Publication
Maternal & Child Health Journal, 2024, Vol 28, Issue 3, p470
- ISSN
1092-7875
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10995-023-03785-3