Lived experiences of young black women with physical disabilities in Lesotho

[摘要] English: This research study aims to improve our understanding of the intersectionality between disability, race/ethnicity, identity, religion, social class and gender and the ways in which these impact on how women with physical disabilities perceive and make meaning of their everyday life experiences and how they think society perceives them. The study therefore aims to understand the world from the point of view of young African women with physical disabilities in Lesotho. Different theoretical lenses that will assist us in making sense of the research participants' lifeworlds are used.Phenomenology, together with its specific concepts-lifeworld and intersubjectivity-are discussed. This research study also pays attention to existential sociology as the study of human existence. It discusses how emotions impact on the lives of women with physical disabilities and how they influence social relations and human activity. The existential self is discussed as one of the main concepts of existential sociology. Furthermore, the research turns to the issue of the social construction of reality which provides us with a basis for the identification of the body, gender and disability construction. It also focuses on the feminist disability theory, with specific attention on the importance of integrating disability into feminist conceptions of intersectionality.This qualitative study made use of purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured in-depth interviews are utilized to elicit data on participants' personal life histories, experiences and perceptions. The research schedule is used as an important tool to guide the interviews. The collected data is transcribed into Sesotho, translated into English and then analysed thematically.Overall, the narratives of eight research participants aged between 21 and 35 generated five themes encompassing gender and femininity; the impact of the disabled body on claiming identity; religion; acceptance of disability; and the challenges faced by young women with physical disabilities in Lesotho. The principal theme is gender and femininity which plays an important part in constructing a disabled identity.The study concludes that women with physical disabilities are isolated, stigmatised and discriminated against as a result of their disabilities. The responses of the research participants to situations of oppressive behaviour reflect their status as an oppressed group. Women with physical disabilities experience oppressive behaviour such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse from able-bodied individuals. This oppressive behaviour leads to women with physical disabilities being treated as unable and unfit to perform many gendered roles that are believed to be culturally and socially acceptable. They experience a limitation of rights, including the right to employment, to bear children, to live independently, to have an intimate partner and to get married.African women with physical disabilities remain one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups and attention is given to how they experience disability. Within this study, an effort is made to enhance our understanding of the everyday life experiences of young African women with physical disabilities in order to fill the gap in previous literature.

[发布机构] University of the Free State