302825
New life in the city: Risks and challenges to young female migrants
In recent years, Vietnam has experience high levels of internal migration, among females aged 15-24. Female migrants often face increased vulnerabilities, stigma and likelihood of risky behaviors due to exploitation and abuse, compared to male migrants. This study documents the challenges that young Vietnamese female migrants face with in the city.
Method:
16 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2011 with 6 male and 10 female migrants aged 18-24, who migrated from rural areas to HaNoi. Respondents were asked about their decision making process related to migration and life experiences in the city.
Major Results:
Both female and male migrants often suffer from physical and mental health issues after migration. While the lack of support from formal and informal social protections is common, its effects may be more severe among females. Stigmatizing attitudes towards female migrants, who were viewed to have adapted improper activities, leading to “social evils”, frequent in city life, were common. Female migrants were even stigmatized by other migrants, often described as becoming “loose” having adapted to the city life. Male migrants expressed that female migrants were “unfit for marriage.” Meanwhile, gender norm perceptions reportedly did not change once young people moved to the city.
Conclusion/Recommendations:
As more young women move to cities, it is important to recognize the social dynamics that exist between men and women in the context of migration. An understanding of gender division and gender-specific idealization within migration is necessary to create better policies and programs that aim to improve the overall well-being of migrants.
Learning Areas:
Diversity and culturePublic health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Analyze qualitatively the experiences of young Vietnamese adults who migrated from rural Vietnam into urban HaNoi, and
Discuss the consequences and context in which internal migration affect young females in development of health problems and concurrent patterns of risk behaviors, and
Assess the stigma associated with female migration from the receiving communities and other migrants.
Keyword(s): Women's Health, Urban Health
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an Assistant Professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple federally funded grants focusing on reproductive health and migrant population in developing countries.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.