Background: Society in general and higher education in particular need to find constructive strategies for the partly changed situation that the multicultural society entails. A successful integration promotes health and a new identity in the new society. Immigrant women´s experiences show aspects that influence their well-being and inclusion in society. Immigrant women encounter many barriers and are a group at high risk of marginalization in higher education. Hence, increased insight into immigration research is significant for the organization of higher education, especially focusing on women´s health and well-being within this area.
Purpose of the study: The purpose is to provide an overview of experienced health and well-being among immigrant women in the context of higher education and the possible facilitators and barriers they encounter.
Methods: This study was designed as an integrative literature review. Databases were searched for international scientific articles. The final material comprised 14 empirical articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Also, a manual search was conducted, involving checking reference lists of the collected articles.
Findings: The findings showed that immigrant women in higher education are perseverant. According to women’s experiences, higher education studies challenged traditional gender roles and created tensions. The women described stress and anxiety during their studies
Conclusion: Several problematic aspects related to health and well-being were evident for immigrant women in higher education, while possible facilitators appeared to be less prominent and need further exploration.