INVITED AUTHOR: Andreea C. Brabete

There is a growing interest in introducing not only the sex perspective but also a gender perspective in research at all levels as the research findings are more accurate and they contribute to address several health challenges. For example, in Europe, Horizon 2020 considers gender as a cross-cutting problem and grant applicants are asked to explain how women’s and men’s needs and behaviours are introduced in project proposals. Moreover, the program supports the participation of women in research teams and management structures (European Commission, 2016). In addition, in Canada, the Canadian Institute of Gender and Health (2012) encourages researchers through its publications to incorporate sex and gender in health in order to identify and address women’s and men’s health issues.

Despite the increasing uptake of sex/gender perspective in the study of health inequities, a sex/gender perspective applied to migrants’ health remains rare. To address this void in the literature, the chapter “Examining Migrants’ Health from a Gender  Perspective” addresses migrants’ health. The chapter describes women’s situation in scholar studies since women started being considered autonomous immigrants very recently. Studying migrants’ health from a gender perspective sheds light on the several health inequities that immigrant women and men face in both the origin and host country. For example, working conditions, social support and socio-economic status affect men and women differently and they involve different gender inequalities. Furthermore, the economic crisis affected men and women differently. Through the adaptation process to a different culture, immigrants deal with several sources of acculturative stress. Therefore, acculturative stress might decrease migrants’ health from a physical, psychological and social point of view. In conclusion, the chapter points to the need for students, researchers and healthcare professionals to take into consideration the sex/gender perspective when analyzing the multiple social determinants that intervene in migrants’ health in order to diminish the existing health inequities.

References

Canadian Insitute of Gender and Health (2012). What a difference sex and gender make: a gender, sex and health research casebook. Available at: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/documents/What_a_Difference_Sex_and_Gender_Make-en.pdf. Accessed 20 January 2017.

European Commission (2016). Promoting Gender Equality in Research and Innovation. Availabla at: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/promoting-gender-equality-research-and-innovation . Accessed 20 January 2017.