Disabled women struggle to find stable jobs

Imagine just how difficult it is to be a woman in today’s society with all of the oppression that women face.  Now imagine being a woman who is disabled in society who do not only face barriers of being a woman oppressed by society, but also face the barrier of being a woman with a disability.  Disabilities are looked at by society as “a deficit”, while disabled people are compared to the capable, and further, some people may compare disabilities to a social construct such as gender. 

Studies have shown that the issues that lie within the government assisted programs for assisting disabled women in gaining employment are that the emphasis is put on the skills and attitudes of the person seeking employment instead of the issues of discrimination in hiring and the lack of accommodation in the work place (Chouinard, 2009).

Issues in Canadian policies that govern the assistance programs are that the programs are not designed specifically for each disability, and are more generalized for the whole population.

This is a quote taken from a research study on Disabled Mothers on Assistance Programs by Vera Chouinard, (2009) as she explains her frustration of being a disabled woman and says:

“As soon as the time for my monthly wage subsidies ran out I was training my replacement (also a Job Connect placement)! This employer lays off previous Job Connect workers as soon as the subsidy is over ([it is a] revolving door and always to the advantage of the employer).”

 This is the type of discrimination that disabled women should have protection from in policy from.

For myself and maybe others, looking at the fact that I am “able bodied”, meaning, that I am healthy and free of any disability, is an unearned privilege.  I think that people that are able bodied do not look at themselves as having a privilege, but just accept who they are and the life they live.  In the article by the Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA, 2008) called the Submission of the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women they state that “Canada has not enacted strong legislation that requires buildings and services to be accessible. To obtain accessible services and facilities, women with disabilities must file human rights complaints, which often take years to resolve.” (FAFIA, 2008).

I believe that until you know the real struggles that a person with a disability like a mother for example has to endure, we will continue to not really understand the privilege we hold of being able bodied.  I am a woman and a mother and I may have had many barriers in my life, but I take for granted the fact that I am able to walk and do things as a healthy woman and mother.  As Mullaly, (2007) says "the contention here is that most oppression today is systemic and unintentional, built into our social institutions, and carried out unconsciously in our day-to-day activities."

I think that the issues that are important to disabled mothers should be a higher priority, and more policies should be in place to help them.  I also think that we need to take a social democratic view on the employment programs to find a way to help the mothers find permanent employment and to help prevent discrimination by employers by enforcing new policies.  The Liberal notion of equality for individuals can only go so far to aide in the micro level programs.

Brenda,

References,

Mullaly, B. (2007). The New structural Social Work (3^rd ed.). Don Mills, Ontario, Oxford University Press.

Women's Inequality Canada, (2008). Submission of the Canadian Feminist Alliance For International Action To the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Retrieved from

http://www.fafia-afai.org/files/FAFIA_Canada_CEDAW_2008.pdf


Chouinard, V. (2010). Rehabilitation in Practice: Women's with Disabilities Experiences with Government Employment Assistance Canada. Disability and Rehabilitation, 32(2), 148-158.