Examining Care-seeking Behaviors of Migrant Mothers in Costa Rica for Cases of Childhood Illness (2012)

Undergraduate: Meghan Howard

Faculty Advisor: Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld
Department: Anthropology

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The objective of this project was to understand the range of barriers faced by migrant mothers working in Costa Rican coffee plantations when seeking care for child illness. Through semi-structured interviews, I explored the influence of power dynamics, patriarchy, and acculturation on the care-seeking behaviors of indigenous and international migrant women who worked in coffee plantations of the Coto Brus region of Costa Rica from 2010-2011. The amount of time women had spent in a coffee plantation had a positive influence on both their knowledge of nearby health care resources and on their care-seeking behavior in instances of child illness in the past year. Women revealed that they were not autonomous care-seekers, as male heads of their households reserved the right to make the ultimate decision to use financial resources to seek care for a child. Furthermore, workers in coffee plantations must request assistance (usually transportation) from their supervisors to seek care in an emergency, which made many workers uncomfortable and less likely to seek care when it was needed. Thus the hierarchical chain through which health care is sought allows for many delays and severely reduces the autonomy of migrant mothers in seeking care for their children in an appropriate and timely manner.