Chapter 7: Birth in a New Country
Overview
Australia is a country that has been populated by migrants, with the notable exception of people of Aboriginal descent. The majority of migrants come to Australia from Britain and the Republic of Ireland. However, since World War II, there has been a gradual increase in migration from other countries, so that while in 1947 only 1.9 per cent of Australia's population was born in a non-English-speaking country, by 1986 this proportion had increased to 11.6 per cent. Indeed Australia's population is now one of the most ethnically diverse in the world, with communities from over 100 different birthplaces (National Health Strategy, 1993).
The increasing ethnic diversity of Australia's population has created new challenges in the delivery of health care services. Government, both at federal and state level, has recognised that, in general, the health care system has not responded well to changes in the composition of the Australian population and particularly to the needs of newer communities (Health Department Victoria, 1991; National Health Strategy, 1993). Maternity services are no exception.
Submissions to the 1989 New South Wales Obstetric Review Task Force indicated that maternity services were failing to meet the needs of many non- English-speaking background communities (Rice, 1993). The Birthing Services Review, conducted by Health Department Victoria (HDV) in 1990, also found that non-English-speaking background women were disadvantaged within the current system when giving birth in Australia. In this chapter I will describe the way the project "Birth in a New Country" aimed to address the question of how providers of maternity services can improve the experience of birthing for non-Englishspeaking background women.
Speaker/ Author
KATHERINE CAPE
Katherin was born in England. She completed a BA in history at York University before going on to do nursing and midwifery training. She came to Australia in 1986 and has, since then, worked mainly in community health. She has recently completed a graduate diploma in health education and is currently working at Doutta Galla Community Health Services, in Melbourne, in the dual function of Research, Training and Development Coordinator/Community Health Nurse. Her main areas of interest are women's health and primary health care.
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