Access to Reproductive Healthcare Services Among African Women Living in Beijing: Understanding the Challenges

Abstract

A growing body of research has explored the healthcare experiences of African migrants in China. However, within this extant literature, there is a lacuna on the reproductive healthcare experiences of African women within this population. This study adopts semi-structured in-depth interviews in exploring the challenges to reproductive healthcare access among African women in Beijing. Results indicate that African women face multiple barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare. In particular, the absence of reproductive health awareness, discriminatory immigration policy, discontentment with healthcare services, and language barrier were the key challenges identified. The study highlights the challenges of reproductive healthcare experiences among African migrant women in Beijing, China, and recommends the implementation of secure and equitable policies that cater for the needs of African women and minorities in the healthcare setting.