Medical treatment experiences of single rural–urban migrant women who induced abortion in mainland China: a qualitative study adopting social exclusion perspective

This study adopts social exclusion perspective to examine the medical treatment experience of single rural–urban migrant women who induced abortion in mainland China. A thematic analysis on the interviews with 33 migrant women and field notes is conducted. Findings reveal that the participants experienced multiple social exclusion as follows. First, their limited access to full labour rights leads to their limited medical consumption capacity and exclusion from the formal health system. Second, they lack caregivers and suffer from premarital abortion stigma and outsider discrimination. Third, the self-identity of outsiders also hinders them from receiving formal health services.