A critical ethnography of Korean Canadian women's menopause experience

Abstract

Many Korean women living in North America interact with the health care system for a variety of reasons. Frequently, lack of understanding regarding cultural health practices results in misunderstandings and the provision of care that may be culturally inappropriate. The purpose of this critical ethnographic study is to examine how menopause is experienced by a sample of Korean-Canadian women. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of 7 Korean women who have experienced menopause. Interviews were dialogic in nature and meaning was derived through collaboration with the participants. Findings revealed that the women viewed menopause as a natural process and they used facets of both Korean and Western health practices to manage menopause. Knowledge gained from this research has the potential to contribute to the provision of culturally relevant health care for Korean women during menopause.