The everyday experience of Somali women in Canada: Implications for health.

Abstract

Access to health care is considered a basic right in Canadian society. However, health services are frequently inappropriate, unacceptable and thus inaccessible to immigrant and refugee women. The everyday concerns of immigrant and refugee women are germane to establishing appropriate, acceptable and accessible health care services. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the everyday life experiences of Somali, exploring how these experiences affect their. Grounded theory, a qualitative research method, in which data collection and analysis occur in tandem, was utilized, and enhanced by the perspective of feminism, in this study. This feminist perspective facilitated a non-oppressive, non-hierarchical, interactive and reflexive research process. 'Rebuilding' in Canada was identified as a central process. Two main categories were discovered in the process of rebuilding; (1) adjusting to the refugee reality & (2) finding a new safety in Canada. Running from flames reflects on the initial experiences of Somali women in Canada. Despite the fact that they are safe in Canada, coming to terms with their reality as refugees is not easy. Safe in Canada Somali women begin the day-to-day trials of dealing with intercultural communication in an unfamiliar Canadian system. The study finding encourage nurses and other health care providers to consider the context and history of clients ultimately broadening their conception, as health care providers, of health and the multiple factors that determine it. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)