Gendering Facilitators of the Employment of Women with Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract
People with disabilities, especially women, experience challenges in accessing and retaining employment. This situation was heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic due to barriers hindering inclusion. The research question this paper endeavoured to answer was: What facilitators promoted the employment of women with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa? This paper adopted a qualitative research methodology that employed extant literature. This paper argues that COVID-19 exacerbated the challenge to access and retain employment for African women with disabilities in South Africa. The focus of the argument was on the facilitators that promoted the inclusion of women with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Empowering women with disabilities is important to foster their inclusion and participation through employment.Global and national legislation and policies that promote disability inclusion in the workplace were reviewed. The paper analysed the intersectional compounding vulnerability and discrimination between race, gender, and disability. Facilitators for employing African women with disabilities were clustered into personal and environmental facilitators. Strategies to retain people with disabilities in employment included social support, reasonable accommodation, and career advancement.
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