A crisis within a crisis: How gender and disability impact the opportunities available to women with disabilities in Cambodia and Rwanda

The experiences of women with physical disabilities have long been overlooked in the fields of both gender and disability studies (Liasidou, 2013). Much of the literature which does exist to explore disability and gender is based in the Global North and tends to take a medical or clinical approach to disability. This thesis therefore takes a more participatory approach to gender and disability research, relying on the stories of women with disabilities themselves, through empirical evidence from two countries in the Global South. The aim of this thesis is to explore the relationship between gender and disability, and to understand how these factors of identity combine to limit the opportunities available to women with disabilities, especially in relation to education and employment. Utilising a mixed methods approach, which is rooted in participation and empowerment, and framed by critical disability studies and intersectional feminism, I consider the experiences of 36 women with physical disabilities, their advocates, communities, and support structures. These interviews highlight the discrimination faced by women with disabilities in their everyday lives, due to the social and institutional perceptions of both gender and disability in Cambodia and Rwanda. These are influenced by patriarchal norms and assumptions about the capabilities of women with disabilities, and tend to preclude them from education, employment, marriage, and personal relationships. In order to overcome these obstacles, women stressed the need for self-confidence and support from those around them. This thesis therefore argues for an increase in support for women with disabilities through both formal and informal channels.

Funder

NUI Awards

Publisher

University of Galway

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

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Collections

University of Galway Theses (PhD Theses)