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Summary
Europe Must Act (EMA), ‘Borders and Gendered Bodies: Access, Autonomy and Agency’, 2026
Abstract
Migration and displacement are often framed as predominantly male experiences, yet a considerable proportion of people on the move are women. This population faces most of the same hardships and marginalisation as their male counterparts, compounded by the effects of migration on health, while also confronting specific health issues that are frequently overlooked, not only by policymakers but also by NGOs providing support along migration routes and at places of arrival.
It’s worth saying migration isn’t only a story of harm. Research shows it can actually bring health benefits for women, for example better access to preventive screenings than they had at home, but only under certain conditions: having a job, speaking the local language, living somewhere with functioning healthcare infrastructure. Without those, the same journey can just as easily mean losing access rather than gaining it.
In this report, Borders and Gendered Bodies, we look more in depth at some of these aspects. We cover restricted access to abortion for Ukrainian women in Poland, menstrual health on the move, access to care related to pregnancy, a study on determinants of mental health among Ukrainian women, and the difficulties and opportunities around menopause.
