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‘It’s always difficult for women’: an analysis of the life stories of sub-Saharan migrant women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2023

Ana Isabel Gutiérrez-García ,
Ismael Jiménez-Ruiz Open the ORCID record for Ismael Jiménez-Ruiz [Opens in a new window] ,
José Siles-González ,
Juana Perpiñá-Galvañ  and
Carmen Solano-Ruíz
Ana Isabel Gutiérrez-García
Affiliation:
Nursing Department, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
Ismael Jiménez-Ruiz*
Affiliation:
Nursing Department, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain Grupo de Investigación: Cuidados enfermeros avanzamos. Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria Pascual Parrilla, Murcia, Spain
José Siles-González
Affiliation:
Nursing Department, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
Juana Perpiñá-Galvañ
Affiliation:
Nursing Department, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
Carmen Solano-Ruíz
Affiliation:
Nursing Department, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
*
Corresponding author: Ismael Jiménez-Ruiz; Email: ismael.jimenez@um.es
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand the perspectives of female residents of Spain from West Africa in terms of the factors that condition their lives. Pierre Bourdieu’s theory and the model of intersectionality formed the framework we used to qualitatively analyse the life stories of these women, which was complemented with life lines. The results showed us that traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and forced marriage are part of the social habitus of this group and they relate to each other through the several types of violence that occurs throughout their lives. In addition, in reference to the African community, these women were no longer African, while in terms of the Spanish community, they did not seem Spanish. At a health, political, and social level, this knowledge can help us to understand this group and to create personalised targeted interventions for them.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 56 , Issue 2 , March 2024 , pp. 376 - 390
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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