Employment Rights of Disabled women in India

A Study of Compliance and Impact of the Persons with Disabilities Act with Special Reference to UP, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamilnadu

Sponsored by
National Commission for Women, Govt. of India

Submitted by
Society for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies
Head Office: B-285, Vasant Kunj Enclave,
New Delhi--110070 (India)

Both disability and gender are physical constructs that totally ignore the personhood. To be a disabled person is to fail to measure up to the general cultural definition of masculinity as strength, physical ability and autonomy. To be a disabled woman is to be considered unable to fulfill the role of homemaker, wife as also mother, and unable to conform to the stereotype of beauty and femininity in terms of physical appearance.

But yes, being a disabled woman also fits well into the stereotype of passivity and dependency. India is a vast country with a population of more than one billion and nearly 70 million persons (based on the projections made by various international agencies such as the United Nations, WHO and World Bank). with disabilities. About 48 percent of them are women. Women in India have been struggling to get their rights. The women’s rights movement itself is in its initial stages. They are fighting all the stereotypes that have been ingrained in the national psyche.

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