Working Paper No. 01/2008
UCL Anthropology
Working Papers Series
Department of
Anthropology
University College London
14 Taviton Street,
London
WC1H 0BW, U.K.
ISSN
1759-6688
Editorial Board: Sara Randall, Martin
Holbraad
Working Paper No. 01/2008
Published online
November 27, 2008
© Copyright rests with the authors
MIGRATION AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH: A REVIEW OF THE
LITERATURE
KATERINA
GEORGIADIS
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ABSTRACT
The reproductive
health of migrants is an increasingly important public health issue. A review of
studies conducted in Europe, North America and Australia reveals numerous
differences between migrant and host populations in terms of their experiences
and attitudes towards fertility, infertility, breastfeeding, abortion,
contraception and reproductive health services. This paper examines the extent
to which such health disparities are a consequence of moving, the specific
characteristics of those who move, the new environment in which they find
themselves, or a combination of factors. It concludes that while the theories of
assimilation, adaptation, selection and disruption provide some answers to
questions concerning the relationship between migration and reproductive health,
anthropological perspectives on reproduction can be used to develop a deeper
understanding of the issues involved.
