A Critical Ethnographic Inquiry Into Newcomer Women's Experiences With Perinatal Care During The Three-Month Health Insurance Waiting Period In Ontario

This study aimed to critically examine the factors that shape newcomer women's experiences with perinatal care during the three-month health insurance waiting period in Ontario. This qualitative study was guided by a critical ethnographic method along with an intersectionality framework. I conducted participant observations as well as in depth individual interviews with four newcomer women and three perinatal healthcare providers. The findings showed that the following factors shape newcomer women’s experiences with perinatal care: social identity, migration, and the healthcare system. Social identities related to gender, race, and socio-economic status intersect to form a social location, which intersects with newcomer women's experiences of social isolation and exclusion. These experiences in turn intersect with Ontario’s healthcare system with its problematic perinatal services. Together, these factors intersect to form systems of oppression for newcomer women in the perinatal period. Implications for nursing education, practice, policy, and research are presented.