Disability, gender and caste intersections in Indian economy

Mehrotra, Nilika

doi:10.1108/s1479-3547(2013)0000007013

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The impact of multiple marginalities such as membership of an excluded social group or having female gender and low education status adding to the disadvantage of disability has been identified as a basis for additional exclusion of those with PSD. 28 29 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple barriers to participation for people with psychosocial disability in Dehradun district, North India: a cross-sectional study

Mathias¹,

Pant

Marella

et al. 2018

BMJ Open

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ObjectivesThis study used a population-based cross-sectional survey to describe the prevalence of psychosocial disability and unmet need for access to services in North India.SettingThis study was conducted in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, in 2014.ParticipantsA population-based sample of 2441 people over the age of 18 years.Primary outcome measuresThe Rapid Assessment of Disability survey tool identified people with disability and used an adapted version of the Kessler scale to identify those with psychosocial disability. It additionally collected information on socioeconomic variables, access to community services and barriers to participation. Prevalence of psychosocial disability and unmet needs and descriptions of barriers to services were calculated, and multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between risk factors and psychosocial disability.ResultsPrevalence of psychosocial disability was 4.8% and 75% of participants with psychological distress also reported comorbid functional impairments. Adjusted ORs for depression of more than two were found for people who were unschooled, unemployed and of moderate or poor socioeconomic status. The unmet need for access to services was significantly higher in every domain for people with psychosocial disability and was more than 25% in the areas of employment, health service access and community consultation. People with psychosocial disability encountered greater barriers in each domain compared with controls.ConclusionsPeople who are poor, uneducated and unemployed are two to four times more likely to have psychosocial disability in Dehradun district. They face unmet needs in accessing community services and perceive negative social attitudes, lack of physical accessibility and lack of information as barriers limiting their participation. Social policy must increase access to education and reduce poverty but additionally ensure action is taken in all community services to increase information, physical accessibility and social inclusion of people with psychosocial and other forms of disability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple barriers to participation for people with psychosocial disability in Dehradun district, North India: a cross-sectional study

Mathias¹,

Pant

Marella

et al. 2018

BMJ Open

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“…At the outset of this study, we hypothesized that women who were both disabled and Dalit would be doubly discriminated against. This was based on studies that state women with multiple vulnerabilities may face compounded discriminations [41]. Significantly however, this study found disability far outweighed class as a daily concern.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Societal attitude and behaviours towards women with disabilities in rural Nepal: pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood

Devkota

Kett

Groce

2019

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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BackgroundThis study reviews the attitudes and behaviours in rural Nepalese society towards women with disabilities, their pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood. Society often perceives people with disabilities as different from the norm, and women with disabilities are frequently considered to be doubly discriminated against. Studies show that negative perceptions held in many societies undervalue women with disabilities and that there is discomfort with questions of their control over pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood, thus limiting their sexual and reproductive rights. Public attitudes towards women with disabilities have a significant impact on their life experiences, opportunities and help-seeking behaviours. Numerous studies in the global literature concentrate on attitudes towards persons with disabilities, however there have been few studies in Nepal and fewer still specifically on women.MethodsA qualitative approach, with six focus group discussions among Dalit and non-Dalit women without disabilities and female community health volunteers on their views and understandings about sexual and reproductive health among women with disabilities, and 17 face-to-face semi-structured interviews with women with physical and sensory disabilities who have had the experience of pregnancy and childbirth was conducted in Rupandehi district in 2015. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English before being analysed thematically.ResultsThe study found negative societal attitudes with misconceptions about disability based on negative stereotyping and a prejudiced social environment. Issues around the marriage of women with disabilities, their ability to conceive, give birth and safely raise a child were prime concerns identified by the non-disabled study participants. Moreover, many participants with and without disabilities reported anxieties and fears that a disabled woman’s impairment, no matter what type of impairment, would be transmitted to her baby, Participants – both disabled and non-disabled, reported that pregnancy and childbirth of women with disabilities were often viewed as an additional burden for the family and society. Insufficient public knowledge about disability leading to inaccurate blanket assumptions resulted in discrimination, rejection, exclusion and violence against women with disabilities inside and outside their homes. Stigma, stereotyping and prejudice among non-disabled people resulted to exclusion, discrimination and rejection of women with disabilities. Myths, folklore and misconceptions in culture, tradition and religion about disability were found to be deeply rooted and often cited as the basis for individual beliefs and attitudes.ConclusionWomen with disabilities face significant challenges from family and society in every sphere of their reproductive lives including pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood. There is a need for social policy to raise public awareness and for improved advocacy to mitigate misconception about disability and promote disabled women’...

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“…People with disabilities in India are marginalised in education, employment, mobility, and other significant life areas (Mehrotra 2013). Ghai (2015) describes the common cultural perception in India as being that disability is retribution for past karma from which there can be no reprieve.…”

Section: Disability Experience In Indiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Policies designed to address material disadvantage facing members of religious minorities are yet to achieve any level of success, and can be regarded as politically expedient tokenism as opposed to genuine efforts to address socioeconomic inequalities that exist along religious lines (M.S. (Mehrotra 2013).…”

Section: Religious Minority Experience In Indiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Freedom of Religious Belief and People with Disabilities: A Case Study of People with Disabilities from Religious Minorities in Chennai, India

Thompson¹,

Rohwerder²,

C³

2021

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India has a unique and complex religious history, with faith and spirituality playing an important role in everyday life. Hinduism is the majority religion, and there are many minority religions. India also has a complicated class system and entrenched gender structures. Disability is another important identity. Many of these factors determine people’s experiences of social inclusion or exclusion. This paper explores how these intersecting identities influence the experience of inequality and marginalisation, with a particular focus on people with disabilities from minority religious backgrounds. A participatory qualitative methodology was employed in Chennai, to gather case studies that describe in-depth experiences of participants. Our findings show that many factors that make up a person’s identity intersect in India and impact how someone is included or excluded by society, with religious minority affiliation, caste, disability status, and gender all having the potential to add layers of marginalisation. These various identity factors, and how individuals and society react to them, impact on how people experience their social existence. Identity factors that form the basis for discrimination can be either visible or invisible, and discrimination may be explicit or implicit. Despite various legal and human rights frameworks at the national and international level that aim to prevent marginalisation, discrimination based on these factors is still prevalent in India. While some tokenistic interventions and schemes are in place to overcome marginalisation, such initiatives often only focus on one factor of identity, rather than considering intersecting factors. People with disabilities continue to experience exclusion in all aspects of their lives. Discrimination can exist both between, as well as within, religious communities, and is particularly prevalent in formal environments. Caste-based exclusion continues to be a major problem in India. The current socioeconomic environment and political climate can be seen to perpetuate marginalisation based on these factors. However, when people are included in society, regardless of belonging to a religious minority, having a disability, or being a certain caste, the impact on their life can be very positive.

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Disability, gender and caste intersections in Indian economy

Cited by 14 publications

References 6 publications

Multiple barriers to participation for people with psychosocial disability in Dehradun district, North India: a cross-sectional study

Multiple barriers to participation for people with psychosocial disability in Dehradun district, North India: a cross-sectional study

Societal attitude and behaviours towards women with disabilities in rural Nepal: pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood

Freedom of Religious Belief and People with Disabilities: A Case Study of People with Disabilities from Religious Minorities in Chennai, India

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