Abstract
Background
In Portugal, health is a legal universal right (Law no. 56/79, art. 4); however, people’s access to it is conditioned by social factors such as gender and nationality, and the case of prejudice against Brazilian women who live in that country, especially regarding their reproductive health, is an example of this conditioning.
Objective
Analyze the immigrating Brazilian women’s perception of the reproductive health services in Portugal.
Method
Interviews were conducted with 13 women selected using the snowball sampling method.
Results
The Brazilian women showed a preference for Cesarean section, which may contribute to increasing the prejudice against them in the Portuguese public health system (SNS). They argued that, in the SNS, normal delivery is performed by nurses without the use of anesthetics. Cesarean sections are frequently carried out in the private health system, where the women surveyed did not notice the presence of prejudice.
Conclusion
This predilection probably is not only related to the difficulties immigrants experience in the SNS, but also to the culture favoring Cesarean section that exists, especially in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, which is carried with these women when they emigrate, due to either health or esthetic issues.
Keywords:
migration; immigration; emigration; reproductive health; prejudice