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Inclusiveness of Access Policies to Maternity Care for Migrant Women Across Europe: A Policy Review
Pařízková, A. Clausen, J.A. Balaam, M.C. Roosalu, T. Migliorini, L. Kasper, A.
Pařízková, A.
Clausen, J.A.
Balaam, M.C.
Roosalu, T.
Migliorini, L.
Kasper, A.
Publication Date
2024
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© 2023 The Authors. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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openAccess
Accepted for publication
2023-09-29
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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.
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Published version
Citation
Pařízková A, Clausen JA, Balaam MC et al (2023) Inclusiveness of Access Policies to Maternity Care for Migrant Women Across Europe: A Policy Review. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 28(3): 470-480.
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Article