Understanding the Influence of Ghanaian Women’s Migration Patterns on Access to Health Care

Abstract

Increased migration rates demonstrate a rise in women seeking relocation as a means to access employment or academic opportunities; this is referred to as the feminization of migration. Migration stimulates female empowerment, increases access to financial opportunities, and promotes cultural diversity, all while simultaneously exposing women to detrimental conditions that impose risks to their physical and psychological well-being. Health is a fundamental human right that female migrants often are deprived of due to various social, cultural, political, and economic factors. A secondary analysis design was implemented to explore the impact of social determinants of health, specifically socioeconomic status, culture, and education, on health outcomes and health care access of Ghanaian internal and external female migrants. Interviews collected from two primary studies were analyzed using thematic analysis and an intersectionality approach. Ghanaian female migrants experienced cultural, financial, social, and health accessibility related barriers in accessing health care services. Our findings will serve as a foundation for improving health outcomes for female migrant populations and support health care professionals’ practice of cultural competence.

Realising the Right to Dignity of Zimbabwean Woman Migrants in Botswana: A Practical Approach

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Draining the specialized nursing brains, the emigration paradigm of Ghana: A cross‐sectional study

“…From anecdotal evidence, many SNs are migrating from Ghana with many others nurturing the intention to migrate. The labour mobility and socio‐demographic studies have, however, shown that personal variables, work experience, social groups, and links to migration networks crucially determine migration decisions (Rizwan et al, 2022 ). It is widely recognized that understanding the motivating causes and the objectives of the various migratory actors, particularly emigrants, can suggest potential points of contact or stakeholders when formulating migration policy (Teye, 2022 ).…”