Wage differentials between native and immigrant women in Spain: accounting for differences in support

Purpose: The objective of the study is to quantify the wage gap between native and immigrant women in Spain, taking into account differences in their characteristics and the need to control for common support. If immigrant women are segregated in occupations with few native women, it is important to take this into account to analyse wage differentials between both collectives. Methodology: We use microdata from the Continuous Sample of Working Histories (Muestra Continua de Vidas Laborales) on wages and other personal characteristics such as gender, country of origin, and age to apply the matching procedure and the decomposition of the wage gap along the lines of Ñopo (2008) for the analysis of wage differentials between native and immigrant women. The advantage of this procedure is that we can simultaneously estimate the common support and the mean counterfactual wage for the women on the common support (i.e., comparing native and immigrant women with similar observable characteristics). In addition, we can describe differences not only at the mean but also along the entire wage distribution. Findings: The results obtained indicate that, on average, immigrant women earn less than native women in the Spanish labour market. This wage gap is bigger when we consider immigrant women from developing countries, but our main finding is that an important part of this wage gap is related to differences in common support (i.e., immigrant women are segregated in certain jobs with low wages different from those occupied by native women). If the need to control for common support is neglected, estimates of the wage gap will be biased. Originality: Studying the case of Spain is particularly interesting because it is a country with abundant and recent immigration. Immigrant women account for more than half of the total immigrants in Spain, and unlike other host countries, they come from a highly varied range of countries, with origins as diverse as Latin America, the Maghreb and Eastern Europe. To our knowledge, no other study has explicitly focused on the analysis of the wage differential of immigrant women in the Spanish labour market by taking into account the need to control for common support. Moreover, published papers illustrating the potentiality of Ñopo"s (2008) methodology are also very scarce.

Invisible work, unseen hazards: the health of women immigrant household service workers in Spain

Backgroud: Household service work has been largely absent from occupational health studies. We examine the occupational hazards and health effects identified by immigrant women household service workers. Methods: Exploratory, descriptive study of 46 documented and undocumented immigrant women in household services in Spain, using a phenomenological approach. Data were collected between September 2006 and May 2007 through focus groups and semi-structured individual interviews. Data were separated for analysis by documentation status and sorted using a mixed-generation process. In a second phase of analysis, data on psychosocial hazards were organized using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire as a guide. Results: Informants reported a number of environmental, ergonomic and psychosocial hazards and corresponding health effects. Psychosocial hazards were especially strongly present in data. Data on reported hazards were similar by documentation status and varied by several emerging categories: whether participants were primarily cleaners or carers and whether they lived in or outside of the homes of their employers. Documentation status was relevant in terms of empowerment and bargaining, but did not appear to influence work tasks or exposure to hazards directly. Conclusions:Female immigrant household service workers are exposed to a variety of health hazards that could be acted upon by improved legislation, enforcement, and preventive workplace measures, which are discussed.

La salut reproductiva de la dona immigrant: una anàlisi des de la influència cultural

El progressiu increment del flux migratori en els darrers anys a Catalunya genera un major percentatge de dones en estat fèrtil que requereixen d’una atenció vinculada a la seva salut reproductiva. D’aquesta manera, els professionals sanitaris es veuen sotmesos a treballar sota una diversitat cultural que moltes vegades genera un “xoc intercultural” dificultant la relació assistencial entre professional i usuari. Per aquest motiu, el següent estudi pretén donar una aproximació de la influència cultural de la dona immigrant (marroquina i subsahariana) en quatre àmbits: embaràs, part, post-part i maternitat.Hipòtesis: S’identifiquen necessitats bàsiques assistencials no resoltes satisfactòriament en el grup de dones immigrants (marroquines i subsaharianes) en el període del part, puerperi immediat i intermedi, a més d’un impacte intercultural associat.Objectiu principal: Conèixer les vivències, percepcions i conductes de les dones marroquines i subsaharianes en l’embaràs, el part, el post-part, la maternitat dins el seu marc cultural i com influeixen en l’atenció sanitària del nostre país.Material i mètodes: S’ha realitzat un estudi de disseny mixt. Per una banda s’ha disposat d’una metodologia qualitativa descriptiva que utilitza la teoria fonamentada “Grounded Theory” com a instrument metodològic, i per l’altra, s’ha optat per una metodologia quantitativa per analitzar les dades clíniques i epidemiològiques de gestants immigrants que havien donat a llum al Servei d’Obstetrícia-Sala de Parts de l’Hospital Sta. Caterina (Girona), durant el període comprès entre el mes de novembre de 2012 i gener de 2013.La recollida de dades s’ha realitzat sota una entrevista semiestructurada i una observació participant com a instruments qualitatius, i el suport del “carnet de l’embaràs” i la “història obstètrica” de cada dona per elaborar l’estudi quantitatiu. Pel que fa a l’anàlisi de les dades en l’estudi qualitatiu s’ha seguit el procés analític plantejat per la Teoria fonamentada i en el cas de l’estudi quantitatiu, s’ha comptatamb el suport d’una tesi doctoral per comparar els resultats amb els de les dones autòctones, dels quals fa referència la tesi.Resultats: En l’estudi qualitatiu, s’han trobat especificitats culturals en relació a la percepció del part, desenvolupament del part ( a nivell conductual), implicació en el post-part, valoració de l’atenció sanitària rebuda i el concepte de maternitat. Pel que fa a l’estudi quantitatiu comparatiu, s’han indentificat diferències entre el col·lectiu de la mostra estudiada i les dones autòctones referent als antecedents obstètrics i paritat, al control gestacional i al desenvolupament del part ( a nivell fisiològic)

Emergency hospital services utilization in Lleida (Spain): a cross-sectional study of immigrant and Spanish-born populations

Background: The use of emergency hospital services (EHS) has increased steadily in Spain in the last decade while the number of immigrants has increased dramatically. Studies show that immigrants use EHS differently than native-born individuals, and this work investigates demographics, diagnoses and utilization rates of EHS in Lleida (Spain). Methods: Cross-sectional study of all the 96,916 EHS visits by patients 15 to 64 years old, attended during the years 2004 and 2005 in a public teaching hospital. Demographic data, diagnoses of the EHS visits, frequency of hospital admissions, mortality and diagnoses at hospital discharge were obtained. Utilization rates were estimated by group of origin. Poisson regression was used to estimate the rate ratios of being visited in the EHS with respect to the Spanish-born population. Results: Immigrants from low-income countries use EHS services more than the Spanish-born population. Differences in utilization patterns are particularly marked for Maghrebi men and women and sub-Saharan women. Immigrant males are at lower risk of being admitted to the hospital, as compared with Spanish-born males. On the other hand, immigrant women are at higher risk of being admitted. After excluding the visits with gynecologic and obstetric diagnoses, women from sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb are still at a higher risk of being admitted than their Spanish-born counterparts. Conclusion: In Lleida (Spain), immigrants use more EHS than the Spanish born population. Future research should indicate whether the same pattern is found in other areas of Spain and whether EHS use is attributable to health needs, barriers to access to the primary care services or similarities in the way immigrants access health care in their countries of origin.

Comparison of the consumption of antidepressants in the immigrant and native populations in a Spanish health region: an observational study

BACKGROUND: Health professionals and organizations in developed countries adapt slowly to the increase of ethnically diverse populations attending health care centres. Several studies report that attention to immigrant mental health comes up with barriers in access, diagnosis and therapeutics, threatening equity. This study analyzes differences in exposure to antidepressant drugs between the immigrant and the native population of a Spanish health region. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of the dispensation of antidepressant drugs to the population aged 15 years or older attending the public primary health centres of a health region, 232,717 autochthonous and 33,361 immigrants, during 2008. Data were obtained from computerized medical records and pharmaceutical records of medications dispensed in pharmacies. Age, sex, country of origin, visits, date of entry in the regional health system, generic drugs and active ingredients were considered. Statistical analysis expressed the percentage of persons exposed to antidepressants stratified by age, gender, and country of origin and prevalence ratios of antidepressant exposition were calculated. RESULTS: Antidepressants were dispensed to 11% of native population and 2.6% of immigrants. Depending on age, native women were prescribed antidepressants between 1.9 and 2.7 times more than immigrant women, and native men 2.5 and 3.1 times more than their immigrant counterparts. Among immigrant females, the highest rate was found in the Latin Americans (6.6%) and the lowest in the sub-Saharans (1.4%). Among males, the highest use was also found in the Latin Americans (1.6%) and the lowest in the sub-Saharans (0.7%). The percentage of immigrants prescribed antidepressants increased significantly in relation to the number of years registered with the local health system. Significant differences were found for the new antidepressants, prescribed 8% more in the native population than in immigrants, both in men and in women. CONCLUSIONS: All the immigrants, regardless of the country of origin, had lower antidepressant consumption than the native population of the same age and sex. Latin American women presented the highest levels of consumption, and the sub-Saharan men the lowest. The prescription profiles also differed, since immigrants consumed more generics and fewer recently commercialized active ingredients.

Mujeres inmigradas y prácticas sociolegales en situaciones de violencia en la pareja: diferencias, desigualdades y disidencias en los contextos de atención

La investigación aborda el problema de la violencia de género dentro de la pareja en mujeres inmigrantes. El objetivo es conocer el impacto de los dispositivos sociolegales sobre las propias mujeres inmigrantes, a la vez que se conoce como el fenómeno de la inmigración ha influido en las prácticas institucionales. Los resultados indican efectos de protección y a la vez efectos perversos en los dispositivos sociolegales que se cuidan de las mujeres inmigradas. Se hacen propuestas para una intervención más situada y reflexiva.

Implementació i avaluació d'un programa dirigit a l'alfabetització de les mares amb infants estragers en la seva llengua i en català

El projecte « Teixint Cultures » és un projecte de recerca-acció comunitari que intenta promoure des de l’àmbit de l’educació d’adults, l’aprenentatge de la llengua catalana a partir dels recursos lingüístics que les mares d’origen africà tenen en la seva llengua familiar. El programa es porta a terme des d’una biblioteca pública infantil, i atén a mares d’origen immigrat amb fills menors de tres anys no escolaritzats al seu càrrec. Tot el projecte està vehiculat a partir dels contes infantils. De fet, intenta recuperar els contes de tradició oral provinents del continent africà per posteriorment elaborar materials educatius bilingües (en català i en les seves llengües) que es puguin utilitzar com a llibres educatius de consulta, tant per les biblioteques públiques com pels centres educatius. Els resultats s'agrupen entres àmbits a) descripció de les característiques metodològiques i organitzatives que han fet possible el projecte; b) impacte del projecte en les participants (aprenentatge del català, actituds, satisfacció i autoestima, pràctiques al voltant de la narració i la lectura de contes a la llar); i c) impacte del projecte a la biblioteca i al context local de la població de Salt. El futur del projecte es relaciona amb el Pla d'Entorn lligat amb l'establiment de relacions de continuïtat família-escola, implicació de les entitats i associacions de persones estrangeres i el tractament educatiu de la llengua familiar de l'alumnat.

DIC.CAT. Dona, immigració i ciutadania: les dones marrquines com a generadores de ciutadania a Catalunya

DIC.CAT es centra en les contribucions a la ciutadania que realitzen les dones immigrants marroquines, sobre les quals recauen forts estereotips i imatges que, sovint, les vinculen a la passivitat i a la submissió. Partint d'aquest fet, el projecte analitza el paper d'aquetes dones com a generadores de noves formes de ciutadania a Catalunya, a partir de les seves accions en les esferes pública i privada. El projecte contribueix, d'una banda a ampliar el coneixement teòric sobre la noció de ciutadania, incorporant la dimensió del gènere i partint de la realitat multicultural actual; i de l'altra a aprofundir sobre el rol que estan exercint les doens marroquines estudiades, com agents actius de xsocialització i generadores de canvis en els formes d'exercir la ciutadania en la societat catalana. Destaquen les accions que desenvolupen des de la seva quotidianitat en relació a aspectes com el procés de reagrupació, la incorporació al mercat laboral, la transmissio de valores dins la familia, la relació amb la comunitat d'origen, les motivacions, aspiracions o els projectes professionals i personals propis. Alhora, el projecte vincula aquestes accions amb les que desenvolupen des dels espais públics en els que participen, especialment dins l'àmbit associatiu.

Gènere i immigració en les narratives visuals de les noies dels països del sud d’Àsia escolaritzades a Catalunya

Aquesta recerca aborda la interpretació de les relacions entre escolarització, immigració i gènere de forma complexa mitjançant la construcció d’una recerca visual narrativa i d’històries de vida amb el grup de noies/dones immigrades procedent dels països del sud d’Àsia que viuen i han estat escolaritzades –totalment o parcialment– a Catalunya. La investigació dóna visibilitat a les trajectòries d’èxit escolar de les noies/dones immigrades al seu pas per l’escola secundària, tot narrant: les seves expectatives i desitjos, els moments i canvis, les identitats i relacions, així com els aprenentatges assolits i les perspectives de futur. La recerca s’ha portat a terme a partir d’observar, entrevistar i conversar amb diversos grups de noies immigrades (principalment de la regió del Panjab de l’Índia i el Pakistan) en 4 centres educatius i 1 entitat, de l’àmbit de Barcelona i la seva àrea metropolitana. La investigació reconstrueix la trajectòria de 20 noies immigrades com a protagonistes. El treball de camp etnogràfic i la construcció de les històries visuals de vida culmina amb l’edició d’un documental audiovisual. De forma resumida, l’anàlisi de les dades realitzada a partir del treball de camp etnogràfic, de les entrevistes en profunditat i les converses en els cinc contextos presentats, s’organitza d’acord amb els següents eixos temàtics: 1. Migracions, espacialització i mobilitat en un context transnacional i local; 2. La construcció de les subjectivitats i del gènere de les adolescents/adultes immigrades; 3. Processos d’escolarització i formació a Catalunya de les noies/dones immigrades; i 4. Visibilitat, visualitat i representació en la recerca.

Acolliment lingüístic en dones nouvingudes

La immigració és una característica de la societat actual, moltes persones marxen del seu país amb l’objectiu de millorar la seva qualitat de vida. Els governs han desenvolupat accions per facilitar la inserció de la persona en el país d’acollida. Un fet que facilita la inserció és la llengua, aquesta és la clau per poder participar en el nou context. A més fomenta la cohesió perquè és l’instrument de relació amb altres persones. Per aquesta raó una de les accions del govern de Catalunya és l’acolliment lingüístic. La immigració és un tema molt ampli, la investigació es centrarà en les dones immigrants analitzant una entitat civil de Vic que ofereix acolliment lingüístic en dones.

L'emprenedoria femenina i la immigració a Osona. El suport dels serveis municipals

En la literatura sobre creació d’empreses, les dones empresàries són considerades un re· servori de desenvolupament econòmic i un model de gestió empresarial alternatiu. D’al· tra banda, els immigrants posseeixen un fort esperit emprenedor. El paper de les adminis· tracions locals per donar suport a aquests col· lectius en la creació d’empreses és rellevant. L’intens procés migratori viscut a Osona en els darrers anys mereix una anàlisi des de la perspectiva de l’emprenedoria de gènere. Aquest estudi fa una comparació de les em· presàries autòctones i immigrades de la co· marca, així com de les polítiques de suport realitzades pels ajuntaments.

A qualitative study about immigrant workers’ perceptions of their working conditions in Spain

Background: Spain has recently become an inward migration country. Little is known about the occupational health of immigrant workers. This study aimed to explore the perceptions that immigrant workers in Spain had of their working conditions.Methods: Qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study. Criterion sampling. Data collected between September 2006 and May 2007 through semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews, with a topic guide. One hundred and fifty-eight immigrant workers (90 men/68 women) from Colombia (n = 21), Morocco (n = 39), sub-Saharan Africa (n = 29), Romania (n = 44) and Ecuador (n = 25), who were authorised (documented) or unauthorised (undocumented) residents in five medium to large cities in Spain.Results: Participants described poor working conditions, low pay and health hazards. Perception of hazards appeared to be related to gender and job sector. Informants were highly segregated into jobs by sex, however, so this issue will need further exploration. Undocumented workers described poorer conditions than documented workers, which they attributed to their documentation status. Documented participants also felt vulnerable because of their immigrant status. Informants believed that deficient language skills, non-transferability of their education and training and, most of all, their immigrant status and economic need left them with little choice but to work under poor conditions.Conclusions: The occupational health needs of immigrant workers must be addressed at the job level, while improving the enforcement of existing health and safety regulations. The roles that documentation status and economic need played in these informants' work experiences should be considered and how these may influence health outcomes.

The use of COOP/WONCA charts as a screen for mental disorders in the immigrant community in primary care in primary care

Aim. To evaluate the usefulness of COOP/WONCA charts as a screening tool for mental disorders in primary care in the immigrant healthcare users in Salt. To measure self-rated health of Salt immigration population using the COOP / WONCA charts and to assess its associated factorsDesign. Descriptive and transversal studyParticipants. 370 non-EU immigrants seniors selected by consecutive sampling stratified by sexMain measures. Personal information will be collected (age, sex, country of origin, years of residency in Spain, number of people living in the household and associated comorbidities). Each participant will complete the COOP/WONCA charts. An analysis of the validity of the diagnostic test will be done: sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, ROC curve and area under the curve (AUC). All variables will be subjected to descriptive analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis between the variables collected (sex, years of residency in Spain... ) and the results of COOP / WONCA charts will be performedResults. Preliminary results are available on a pilot test with 30 patients. The mental disorder prevalence is around 30%. Sensibility (0,89), specificity (0,89), VPP (0,80), VPN (0,94) cutoff score (3.5) and AUC (0,941). Women, people with 10 or more years of residency in Spain and unemployed people have worse self-rated healthConclusions. Based on the preliminary results, is possible to conclude that COOP/WONCA charts could be an useful, valid and applicable screening test for mental disorders in primary care with immigrant population

Differences in pharmaceutical consumption and expenses between immigrant and Spanish-born populations in Lleida, (Spain): a 6-months prospective observational study

Background: There are few studies comparing pharmaceutical costs and the use of medications between immigrants and the autochthonous population in Spain. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether there are differences in pharmaceutical consumption and expenses between immigrant and Spanish-born populations. Methods: Prospective observational study in 1,630 immigrants and 4,154 Spanish-born individuals visited by fifteen primary care physicians at five public Primary Care Clinics (PCC) during 2005 in the city of Lleida, Catalonia (Spain). Data on pharmaceutical consumption and expenses was obtained from a comprehensive computerized data-collection system. Multinomial regression models were used to estimate relative risks and confidence intervals of pharmaceutical expenditure, adjusting for age and sex. Results: The percentage of individuals that purchased medications during a six-month period was 53.7% in the immigrant group and 79.2% in the autochthonous group. Pharmaceutical expenses and consumption were lower in immigrants than in autochthonous patients in all age groups and both genders. The relative risks of being in the highest quartile of expenditure, for Spanish-born versus immigrants, were 6.9, 95% CI = (4.2, 11.5) in men and 5.3, 95% CI = (3.5, 8.0) in women, with the reference category being not having any pharmaceutical expenditure. Conclusion: Pharmaceutical expenses are much lower for immigrants with respect to autochthonous patients, both in the percentage of prescriptions filled at pharmacies and the number of containers of medication obtained, as well as the prices of the medications used. Future studies should explore which factors explain the observed differences in pharmaceutical expenses and if these disparities produce health inequalities.

The use of COOP/WONCA charts as a screen for mental disorders in the immigrant community in primary care in primary care

Aim. To evaluate the usefulness of COOP/WONCA charts as a screening tool for mental disorders in primary care in the immigrant healthcare users in Salt. To measure self-rated health of Salt immigration population using the COOP / WONCA charts and to assess its associated factorsDesign. Descriptive and transversal study, Participants. 370 non-EU immigrants seniors selected by consecutive sampling stratified by sexMain measures. Personal information will be collected (age, sex, country of origin, years of residency in Spain, number of people living in the household and associated comorbidities). Each participant will complete the COOP/WONCA charts. An analysis of the validity of the diagnostic test will be done: sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, ROC curve and area under the curve (AUC). All variables will be subjected to descriptive analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis between the variables collected (sex, years of residency in Spain... ) and the results of COOP / WONCA charts will be performedResults. Preliminary results are available on a pilot test with 30 patients. The mental disorder prevalence is around 30%. Sensibility (0,89), specificity (0,89), VPP (0,80), VPN (0,94) cutoff score (3.5) and AUC (0,941). Women, people with 10 or more years of residency in Spain and unemployed people have worse self-rated healthConclusions. Based on the preliminary results, is possible to conclude that COOP/WONCA charts could be an useful, valid and applicable screening test for mental disorders in primary care with immigrant population