[Women who are left behind: the impact of international migration on the process of seeking health care].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze how women who are left behind seek care in communities with a high migration index.


METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study which used a qualitative approach. Sixty in-depth interviews were conducted between October 2004 and May 2005 with female partners of migrants in two communities (urban / rural) from a region in central Mexico with high migration to the United States.


RESULTS
Migration determines two forms of familial reorganization: one in which female partners of migrants reintegrate with their families; and one in which they remain on their own. Women who reintegrate with their families receive more support, but are also subjected to more control, rendering them with less capability to seek care, particularly related to sexual and reproductive health. Women who remain on their own have less support but have more control and capacity to seek care, with privacy and independence.


CONCLUSIONS
The familial reorganization influences timely health care-seeking behaviour of female partners of migrants. The situations identified can function as obstacles or facilitators to mobilize healthcare resources.
Centro de Investigación en Sistemas de Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, México.
Marta
M
Caballero
René
R
Leyva-Flores
Sandra Catalina
SC
Ochoa-Marín
Angel
A
Zarco
Claudia
C
Guerrero
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population