C-Section among African Migrants in France
This article documents the very high C-sections rate of African women in France, except for the 1980 decade. Although the global context of their immigration in France, living conditions and health status are in constant evolution, they are still considered as a homogenous group of « Africans » for the medical staff. C-section as a cure is a recurrent source of conflicts, showing part of the social context in France. If a guideline has allowed the C-section rate to decline in the 80s, its recommendations are not followed any more. Both a qualitative research (interviews of care providers acting in maternities, interviews of patients, and time of participant observation) and a quantitative research (statistics about 2 200 deliveries in a Parisian maternity in 2006), have been used. A cross perspective is adopted, facing the construction of otherness by medical staffs and the perception of discrimination expressed by the women. Then, from the sociological analysis through the concepts of ethnic and racial categorizations, ways to improve the quality of care for these migrants’ women are emerging.