as youth are thought to be inexperienced and less educated than our elders. Some suffer because they have a disability. We as persons with a disability are thought to be incompetent, pathetic and incapable of living a fulfilling life. What about the people who have the misfortune of being all three of these things? Where do we stand? Women with disabilities are twice as likely as men to experience discrimination and stigmatization on account of their disability and gender. This fact is officially recognized by Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Article calls for adopting measures that safeguard women’s empowerment and enjoyment of all their rights and freedoms, such as access to education, employment, and health care. Employment discrimination, for example, is one of the major issues. The participation of women with disabilities in the labor market is undervalued due to a social bias that undermines the significance of women’s social and professional lives. Vulnerability in the labour market can take many forms. In some cases, the type of work in which women with disabilities are involved in is either unrelated to their careers and experience, and/or it is poorly paid, and their willingness to accept these conditions reflects their need and their own perception of limited social support. If young women with disabilities do not learn to stand on their own while they are young, the weight of life’s challenges will grow as they age. The United Nations estimates that 75% of women with disabilities are unemployed and that those who are employed often earn less than their male counterparts and non-disabled women. Discrimination against women with disabilities is not simply a women’s issue or a disability issue, but rather a broader social issue that touches on all life spheres. Being at the intersection of various forms of discrimination, women with disabilities are more vulnerable to marginalization and social exclusion, and often have limited access to services, economic opportunities and political representation in comparison to others. Despite the significance of the issue and the suffering it involves, it receives so little attention that our next advocacy campaign would be calling for equality in discrimination.
as youth are thought to be inexperienced and less educated than our elders. Some suffer because they have a disability. We as persons with a disability are thought to be incompetent, pathetic and incapable of living a fulfilling life. What about the people who have the misfortune of being all three of these things? Where do we stand? Women with disabilities are twice as likely as men to experience discrimination and stigmatization on account of their disability and gender. This fact is officially recognized by Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Article calls for adopting measures that safeguard women’s empowerment and enjoyment of all their rights and freedoms, such as access to education, employment, and health care. Employment discrimination, for example, is one of the major issues. The participation of women with disabilities in the labor market is undervalued due to a social bias that undermines the significance of women’s social and professional lives. Vulnerability in the labour market can take many forms. In some cases, the type of work in which women with disabilities are involved in is either unrelated to their careers and experience, and/or it is poorly paid, and their willingness to accept these conditions reflects their need and their own perception of limited social support. If young women with disabilities do not learn to stand on their own while they are young, the weight of life’s challenges will grow as they age. The United Nations estimates that 75% of women with disabilities are unemployed and that those who are employed often earn less than their male counterparts and non-disabled women. Discrimination against women with disabilities is not simply a women’s issue or a disability issue, but rather a broader social issue that touches on all life spheres. Being at the intersection of various forms of discrimination, women with disabilities are more vulnerable to marginalization and social exclusion, and often have limited access to services, economic opportunities and political representation in comparison to others. Despite the significance of the issue and the suffering it involves, it receives so little attention that our next advocacy campaign would be calling for equality in discrimination.
WBU%20e-Bulletin%20-%20April%202016.docx.docx