Influence of gender on people with disabilities' work relationships: prospects for ergonomics interventions

02 May 2022 CategoryPeople with disability rights and accommodations Author Umain Recommends

Ooriginally published here.

Norms and values embedded in what is referred to as 'institutionalized gender,' defined by the distribution of power between genders in the political, educational, religious, medical, cultural or social institutions of a society, exist even today. The above mentioned influential institutions shape societal norms that define, reproduce and justify differing expectations and opportunities for women, men, girls and boys. Using qualitative methods, 41 semi-structured interviews among employed people with deafness/hard of hearing (DHH), blindness/low vision, motor disabilities, or chronic pain from three administrative regions of Québec (Montréal, Outaouais, and Montérégie) were analyzed. The results show that while gender is omnipresent in participants' remarks, it is not necessarily associated with exclusion from employment, but most certainly with perpetuating some forms of inequity in work situations. Solutions to raise awareness among ergonomists working with people with disabilities are suggested.

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