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Background: Women who are migrants experience discrimination and face major risks, including sexual exploitation, trafficking, and violence, which all affect their health and well-being. This study explored critical health incidents resulting from marriage migration and the consequences experienced by immigrant Thai women in everyday life. Methods: A qualitative explorative approach with in-depth interviews was used. Forty immigrant Thai women who currently or previously had a Swedish spouse were recruited for the study. An inductive critical incident technique was used to collect and analyze the data as the first step. In a second deductive step, the Newman system model was used when categorizing health dilemmas. Results: The women reported 438 critical health incidents in five main areas: psychological health dilemmas included emotional abuse, feeling overwhelmed due to family responsibilities and the stress of leaving family behind. Sociocultural health dilemmas included transnational family duties or not performing family duties. Physiological health dilemmas included experiencing physical violence and environmental, domestic or work accidents. Developmental health dilemmas included failing health, difficulties in upholding the duties expected of a spouse in the target culture and caring for an elderly husband. Spiritual health dilemmas included critical incidents in which the women perceived themselves to have failed in their hopes and duties as a wife, which intensified their dependence on faith, particularly the Buddhist concept of karma. Conclusion: The health and welfare practices that are included in marriage migration practices in Thailand and western countries, along with civil organizations such as Buddhist cultural associations in foreign countries that support immigrants, would benefit from the multicultural knowledge revealed by the present study. If accepted, this knowledge could facilitate healthcare and welfare support for women experiencing marriage migration.

Purpose Globalisation provides new opportunities for immigrant women to supply financial benefits transnationally to uphold their families in their home countries. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of Thai immigrant women regarding transnational family responsibilities effects on their health and wellness. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 40 Thai immigrant women, of which 34 described having transnational family responsibilities. The transcribed data were analysed using a phenomenographic approach. Findings The findings revealed five structural aspects of transnational family responsibilities of Thai immigrant women: being a dutiful daughter, being a caring mother, being a kind relative, being a “giving” person and striving for a wealthy life. The interviewees seldom encountered enough support from the spouse in handling their transnational family responsibilities. In general, a transnational marriage includes family responsibilities that are continuous and that often is the cause of migration. Practical implications This paper illuminates the transnational responsibilities of marriage migration and argues for women’s rights of culturally congruent health care. Originality/value Traditionally Thai women’s values are based on how they handle family responsibilities and acknowledging own health needs are not. These interviewees perceived doubled burden in terms of family responsibilities and workload in employed work, which contributed to poor health and wellness.

Background: Based on their migrant status, women experience discrimination, facing major risks including sexual exploitation, trafficking, and violence which all affect health.This study explores critical health incidents of marriage migration and their consequences experienced by immigrant Thai women in everyday life.Methods: A qualitative explorative approach with in-depth interviews. 40 immigrant Thai women having or having had a Swedish spouse. Critical incident technique was used to collect and analyse data in combination with content analysis.Results: The women reported 438 critical health incidents in five main areas: Psychological health dilemmas with consequences such as detrimental insecurity, loss of human value and devastating grief. Sociocultural health dilemmas leading to exploitation, insecurity, feelings of betrayal and rage. Physiological health dilemmas leading to economic strain, emotional strain, and physical pain. Developmental health dilemmas are affected by the process of ageing and facing threatening incidents related to deteriorating health. Spiritual health dilemmas including critical incidents in which the women intensified their dependence on faith and karma. Discussion: Women in marriage migration face major health dilemmas while adapting to their new country. Healthcare providers should be concerned about migrated women’s complex situations, as these affect both health and welfare.

he aim of this article is to elucidate and discuss the results of the 2016 Diversity Barometer (Mangfaldsbarometern) and compare these results with those obtained from ten years of the longitudinal ...

At Odds with Feminism? : Muslim Masculinities in the Swedish "No Handshake" Debate in Newspapers.

This article aims to discuss changes in attitudes towards immigrants in Sweden from 2015 onwards, based on the results of the longitudinal Diversity Barometer studies from 2005-2014, 2016 and 2018. The Diversity Barometer studies are based on a national, representative, and randomly selected sample from the Swedish population, with a new sample selected each time. We have analyzed the changes from a sociological perspective, using theories such as contact theory and group conflict theory. The results show an increase in negative attitudes towards ethic and cultural diversity generally, and towards immigrants specifically. Diversity in culture and religion – especially towards Islam – is more negatively perceived as compared to diversity in the work domain. Societal groups with extensive experience from contact with foreigners, those who identify themselves as women, those who are more educated, younger people and city dwellers, have all a more positive attitude towards diversity than others.

Research into the distribution of power in the family and its consequences for family conflicts among immigrants in Sweden is limited and problematic. The situation varies greatly between immigrants from different countries and cultures and of different social backgrounds. We know that, generally, family conflicts and separation among Iranians and other immigrant groups are more common than among Swedes. Why is this? ls it the poor socioeconomic situation of immigrants the main cause of the high frequency of separation? Or is it the cultural differences between the immigrants’ land of origin and Sweden? The question might also be connected to gender relations in immigrant families. Is there, for instance, any difference between men’s and women’s experiences of immigration which affects their power resources and thereby their family relations? How can we explain that it is often the women who take the initiative for the divorce? Is immigration only a problem or can it also be an opportunity? This article describe and analyze how immigration has influenced the distribution of power within Iranian families in Sweden, and the significance of these changes for the origin of family conflicts and conflicts of interest, which in many cases lead to separation. The inquiry concentrates on the Iranian immigrant group, which is the largest group of immigrants which comes from an Asian and Islamic country and of which the majority are refugees. These factors make it possible to get a clearer picture of the effects of immigration on the situation of women among those who came to Sweden with other values and experiences than those of Swedes.

This article discusses how immigration has influenced the distribution of power within Iranian families in Sweden, and the significance of these changes as a source of family conflicts and conflicts of interest, which in many cases lead to separation. It maintains that the change in power relations between men and women that takes place after immigration to Sweden is one of the most important factors behind the high rate of family instability among Iranians and other immigrant groups.