It is estimated that worldwide, roughly one billion people have an impairment. A significant majority of this are women, meaning they are exposed to a variety of unique sexist and ableist threats to their wellbeing. Despite making up a large proportion of the global population, disabled women remain neglected in mainstream feminism and endure severe restrictions in many societies, which serve to cater able bodies.
Being “disabled” is a unique social category, in that anyone can enter it within a split second, unlike many other identifiers such as age, ethnicity, or race. Impairment is a human constant - it occurs across the world and will, most likely, always do so. Unfortunately, this disproportionately affects women as women are more likely to become disabled during their lifetime.
INCLUSIVITY IS PARAMOUNT IF WE WANT FEMINISM TO SUCCEED
Amidst feminist discourse you may have come across the notion of “intersectionality”. This concept was formulated by Kimberlé Crenshaw, who acknowledged that an individual has many identities such as age, class, ability, gender, and race. Crenshaw recognised that, to fully consider discrimination against women, we must consider how these other identities impact the experience of being such. In this case, being both disabled and a woman opens up a plethora of exclusive disadvantages which do not come with being an able-bodied woman or a disabled man. Despite this, disabled women are largely neglected within Western feminism.
These discriminative barriers make disabled women one of the most marginalised groups. Having said this, disabled women are not a homogenous group. Each woman will have a different experience of her impairment depending on the nature of the condition, as well as the accessibility of support within her society. Disability is profoundly social, and attitudes toward disability vary largely between cultures. Some societies are accommodating and accepting, so categories of “impairment” and “disability” aren’t even appropriate or necessary.
Generally, though, women with disabilities across the globe are subject to a host of violence - both structural and overt. Structural violence comes as a result of embedded inequality which has discriminative results in the minority group, such as limited access to healthcare. Violence can also take more direct forms, such as hate crimes, attacks, and assaults. Both are prevalent mechanisms in the oppression of disabled women today.
THE (A)SEXUALISATION OF DISABLED WOMEN
Disabled women have sex. Although this should be an obvious fact, society tends to oppress disabled sexuality by falsely categorising women with impairments as asexual. These myths have a complex historical background, but much of them continue to perpetuate through the media. The absence of disabled representation is extensive: be it in advertisements, film, TV, or pornography.
Even if there are ways that one’s impairment might restrict certain aspects of sex, there are also ways in which these barriers are overcome. There has been a rise in sex-positive and inclusive toy companies which cater to all bodies, and present ways that disabled women can navigate their sexual experiences through creative and pleasurable alternatives.
Although it may seem like a somewhat harmless attitude to hold, the widespread erasure of disabled sexuality is fuelled by regressive and false beliefs which must be eradicated. These beliefs have implications on how disabled women interact in their sexual lives. For example, those who have been disabled since youth are less likely to access adequate sex education, causing them to have a lower level of knowledge which presents obvious risks to sexual safety and wellbeing. This is just one example of the structural violence imposed onto them. Harmful attitudes and discrimination have real impacts on the health of disabled women. To oppose this, we must normalise disabled sexuality in both the media and in educational curriculums.
Having said this, it is equally important not to erase the presence of disabled asexuality either, because it does exist. A great deal of disabled women are likely to identify as asexual, but it is important that asexuality is not assumed simply because of their impairment. Disabled people are probably the most diverse demographic, so it is vital not to homogenise their experiences.
Along with being frequently asexualised, disabled women are at an increased risk of physical and sexual assault. Research is sporadic, but indicates that gender-based violence is significantly more extreme towards those with disabilities. Some studies have found that in North America, women with disabilities are at least twice as likely as to be victims of rape, sexual abuse, and intimate partner violence. This increased risk is replicated in children with disabilities, who are up to four times more likely to be exposed to sexual violence. More research is essential to understanding the full extent of this vulnerability to sexual violence, including cultural variation, how to eradicate it, and how to protect disabled women from such atrocities.
SYSTEMIC CHANGE IS REQUIRED TO DISMANTLE ABLEISM AND VIOLENCE TOWARDS DISABLED WOMEN
Oppressive and regressive attitudes towards disabled women can result in the erasure of disabled sexuality, or even exploitative assault on disabled women. These are truly frightening outcomes and require positive social action. It is essential that each individual takes active steps to dismantle implicit ableism, which is fed through dominant cultural constructions. To create real change, we must first make efforts to properly understand the social inequities which shape discrimination by conducting in-depth research.
Consequently, policy makers must amplify women’s voices by putting the disabled experience at the forefront and collaborating with them in policies which affect them. This intersectional approach to feminism is something which must be adopted, and not only in International Women’s month but always, in order to achieve true equality.
April is a final year Anthropology undergraduate, studying at the University of Bristol. She enjoys writing on issues of social inequality, and shedding light on injustice.