Postnatal Gender Disparities among Infants of Asian Migrant Parents in New Zealand: A New Gap?

Abstract

In Asia, women and girls are exposed to excess morbidity and mortality compared to their male counterparts. This trend is driven by the preferential treatment of sons over daughters in both prenatal and postnatal infant settings. While there is abundant evidence of gender discrimination in infant health outcomes in Asia, little is known about whether this discrimination translates to Asians who migrate overseas. This thesis explores whether son preference is present within the Asian migrant community in New Zealand. Utilising data from the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) study, this thesis focuses on gender bias during the postnatal period through a mixed-methods analysis. Drawing on the data from 348 infants, their mothers and their mothers’ partners, firstly, this study quantitatively explores whether gender differences exist in the treatment of Asian migrant infants within the realms of nutrition and healthcare access, specifically in (a) breastfeeding; (b) GP/doctor visits; (c) hospitalisation; and (d) immunisation outcomes. Secondly, it qualitatively investigates how gender interacts with Asian migrant parents’ expectations for their children, to articulate how gender influences postnatal health outcomes. This research draws on migration theory and Asian gender theory to identify the root causes of gendered postnatal outcomes among infants from Asian migrant families in New Zealand. It also adopts a framework informed by Williams’ (1997) model studying the influence of race on health, adapted to the context of gender and Asian migrant health. The quantitative analyses revealed no significant gender differences in infant GP visits within the past 12 months; hospitalisations since birth; receipt of additional immunisation; or breastfeeding status at nine months. Significant gender differences were found in rates of GP visits and receipt of additional immunisation when accounting for household income as a covariate. Several other significant relationships were found independent of gender, including mother’s length of residence in New Zealand and receipt of additional immunisation; mother’s paid employment status and infant breastfeeding status at nine months; infant birth order and the number of GP visits in the past 12 months; and mother’s main ethnicity and infant breastfeeding status at nine months. The themes derived from the qualitative analysis were separated into two overarching thematic categories: parental expectations influenced by traditional gender roles and parental expectations influenced by migration. The former included gendered expectations surrounding the economic, familial and filial roles that sons and daughters were to adopt. The latter highlighted the hopes and concerns parents expressed about raising their child in New Zealand. This study proposes that gender and migration interact to inform the distinct experiences of infants from Asian migrant families in New Zealand. Further research, including primary qualitative work, is recommended to confirm the relationships between gender and infant health outcomes investigated within this thesis and to extend research to periods throughout their life course beyond infancy.