Magister Artium - MA (Women and Gender Studies)
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Item �n Evaluering van onderwysmetodes in musiekteoretiese vakke en gehoorontwikkeling(University of the Western Cape, 1991) Lochner, Maria Magdalena; Van der Merwe, E.Praktiese ondervinding van die onderrig van Musiek op skoolvlak het getoon dat Musiekteoretiese vakke en Gehoorontwikkeling nie voldoende gestrukrureerd en gebaseer op wetenskaplik gefundeerde onderrigmetodes aangebied word nie. 'n Gebrek aan integrasie tussen Gehoorontwikkeling en die Musiekteoretiese vakke word vermoed. Innerlike gehoor is noodsaaklik is vir die musikus, maar bly grootliks onderontwikkel Hierdie studie konsentreer op die integrasie wat nodig is tussen die Musiekteoretiese vakke en Gehoorontwikkeling, en toets empiries die mening van musiekstudente by wyse van 'n vraelys en di� van musiekdosente by wyse onderhoude. Die ondersoek spreek die algemene metodes aan waardeur die betrokke vakke onderrig word, asook die probleme wat daarmee gepaard gaan. Die musiekstudent se mening omtrent sy tersi�re musiekopleiding word gevra. Daar is bevind dat die twee dissiplines nie doelmatig ge�ntegreerd aangebied word nie en voorstelle om die situasie te verbeter, word gemaak ..Item The psychological effects of detention with particular reference to the South African political detainee(University of the Western Cape, 1996) Bloch, Hugh; Dowdall, TerryThe intention of this dissertation is to clarify the psychological processes and effects which operate in the political detention situation, and to outline effective treatment and coping strategies. An overview of research literature and theory is provided, and the importance of viewing detention within a broad 'socio-political context is emphasised. In the analysis of the detention situation a number of variables likely to be operative are considered. Solitary confinement, torture, interrogation, reactions to severe stress situation s, and uncertainty, unpredictability and uncontrollability are given separate discussion, interaction situation. prior to an attempt to consider the of these variable s in the detention This projected picture is compared with case material gathered in the area. It is noted that political detention is not a uniform experience with a uniform set of effects. Rather, the effects are seen to be dependent on the particular differences in re-ponse. Nevertheless, political detention is shown to be commonly both objectively and subjectively severely stressful, with a strong likelihood of the detainee developing debilitating psychological sequelae. post-traumatic stress disorder appears to be commonly implicated, and symptom s may persist for many years. Family and community members and organisations to which the detainee belongs suffer not only the effects of the loss of that person, but also the problems of effectively helping him or her to reintegrate. It is shown that detainees have commonly drawn on a number of resources or strategies to counteract the potentially debilitating effects of prior preparation of detention. The for the detention experience to facilitate an accurate appraisal of the situation and better coping is emphasized. Useful strategies that may be learned or fostered are outlined. A multidisciplinary approach to treatment that acknowledges all of the difficulties and needs particular to any specific ex-detainee, and that draws on as broad a recommended. It is shown range of available supports Physiotherapy, psychotherapy, and family involvement are as possible, is medication where stressed. Necessary that much may be learned from Canadian and European units that rehabilitate victims of torture - mainly from South American countries; but that strategies need to be adapted to South African conditions.Item Lesbians and the right to equality: Perceptions of people in a local Western Cape community(University of the Western Cape, 2001) Sanger, Nadia; Clowes, Lindsay; Women and Gender Studies; Faculty of ArtsWhen lesbians, as women divert from social norms and reject the compulsory heterosexual norm, they are either punished through legal systems for transgressing patriarchial structures or not recognised at all. As women, lesbians suffer at the hands of a homophobic society which believs that women have stepped out of line through challenging the hegemonic discourses stipulating that they have specific and distinct roles to play - that of wives, mothers, homemakers and sexual partners to men. Because lesbians do not fit into this construct, their behaviour is socially and legally condemned for diverting from the "natural order". This study aimed to identify and explore the various ways people construct and perceive lesbians and to reveal how sexuality, as a product of history and culture, determines the ways lesbians are treated in their own communities. This study attempted to explore how, despite the democratic stance of the new constitution, South African lesbians still experience discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation.Item Perceptions of the veil among a group of Sudanese women: a qualitative study(University of the Western Cape, 2004) Wani, Catherine; Stander, Christell; Shefer, Tamara; Women and Gender Studies; Faculty of ArtsThe Islamic dress code has been forcibly imposed on the women in Sudan, since 1983, and many feminists researchers have criticized the practices of the veil as a tool to oppress women. This study aimed to explore a group of Sudanese women, currently living in South Africa, experiences and perceptions of the veil, whether the veil is a religious dress code or a tool that has been used to exercise inequality.Item The contemporary construction of the causality of HIV/AIDS :a discourse analysis and its implications for understanding national policy statements on the epidemic in South Africa(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Judge, Melanie; Shefer, Tamara; Institute for Social Development; Faculty of ArtsThis study was concerned with the social construction of HIV/AIDS at the policy level in contemporary South Africa, and how such constructions shape the manner in which the epidemic is understood in popular discourse.Item Experiences of rural girls in a historically dominated organisation: scouts in Mpumalanga, Western Cape and Eastern Cape(University of the Western Cape, 2006) Van Staden, Maria; Clowes, Lindsay; Women and Gender Studies; Faculty of ArtsThis study explores the experiences of young rural girls in scouting practices, who reside in the rural areas of Mpumalanga, Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This exploratory study draws special reference to their participation in Scout programmes in what in observed as a predominantly male-dominated organisational alignment. This exploratory study uses a qualitative feminist investigation, through focus groups and semi structured interviews to investigate the impact of these organisational change initiatives on the experiences of girls in scouting. Although the aim of the study was to explore the experiences of rural girls, boys were included in the study to explore gender dynamics and to problematise how gender inequalities can be understood and addressed in scouting.Item An exploration of the stigma experienced by women who are living with HIV/AIDS(University of the Western Cape, 2006) Roman, Gail Sandra; Shefer, Tamara; Women and Gender Studies; Faculty of ArtsThe effects of the spread of HIV/AIDS place a great burden on women and children, who will probably suffer most in terms of social and economic deprivation. Since HIV/AIDS is linked to social taboos such as sexuality, drug use and death, there are enormous levels of ignorance, denial, fear and intolerance in most communities. These prejudices lead to the stigmatisation and discrimination of people who are living with HIV/AIDS. Moreover the illness, as it is sexually transmitted, has been conflated with sexual excess, lack of morals, and those already stigmatised such as sex workers with associated discourses of blame, shame and guilt. Generally, responses to HIV and those living with HIV have served to reflect, legitimise and reproduce broader social inequalities on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, race and class. Stigma is the reason why many people who are living with HIV/AIDS, choose not to disclose their status and seek apposite assistance. This study explored the stigma experienced by a group of women who are living with HIV/AIDS and to develop a deeper understanding of whether these experiences are complicated by social responses.Item Representations of gender,race and sexuality in selected English-medium South African magazines, 2003-2005(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Sanger, Nadia; Clowes, Lindsay; Women and Gender Studies; Faculty of Community and Health SciencesThe aim of this study was to explore representations of gender, race and sexuality in a select group of South African magazines - Men's Health, FHM, Blink, True Love, Femina and Fair Lady - between 2003 and 2005. From a feminist poststructuralist perspective, it was argued that these magazines presented particular subjectives as normative; privileging and centerig one pole within dichotomies of gender, race and sexuality.Item "War in the home'' marriage and mediation among the Gurage in Ethiopia(University of the Western Cape, 2011) Hussen, Tigist Shewarega; Lewis, DesireeEthiopian ethnic groups exhibit highly autochthonous cultural norms and values that are embedded in their traditional beliefs, systems, and religions. This study shows how, at the grassroots level, the Gurage ethnic group in Ethiopia, uses culturally legitimate forms of conflict resolution practices to mobilize and reinforce gender hierarchies, and how the discourses of culture, custom, tradition, social stability and cohesion are connected to gendered power relations. The study provides an analysis of how discourses of culture in African contexts influence, and become a compelling framework for both men and women to define themselves in institutions of marriage, and in related practices of conflict resolution and mediation.Drawing on a rich body of Southern African theory and analysis and by deploying it in relation to marriage in the Ethiopian context, the research shows that customary practices of conflict resolution have been one of the central Ethiopian definitions of authentic culture. Ethiopia, unlike the rest of Africa, reveals many complexities in exploring popular mechanisms and institutions that are very convincingly ''pre-colonial''. At present, these are manifested through cynicism towards western culture, reluctance to readily embrace it, and an accentuated sense of national pride shaped through the struggle against hovering ethnocentricism, imperialism and neo-imperialism. The research explores the dynamics of power that influence married couples' decisions about where and how they should resolve their martial disputes, and in selecting between the formal justice system and customary mediating mechanism. First-hand information was gathered from women and customary leaders, via participatory methodologies, and the data served as input to explain why and how discourses of culture are being mobilized so powerfully to reinforce gender hierarchies in Ethiopia. The research findings evidently show how ''culture'' is ''made real'' and authentic for Ethiopians, particularly for members of the Gurage ethnic group, through the dealings of popular cultural practices: the resolution of marital conflicts. I argue that marital conflict resolution in Gurage is an elaborate practice that validates patriarchal agenda, overseen by male elders, to regulate problems within individual marriages. The research problematised the recognition of ''customary practice'' in the Constitution as alternative systems by presenting the limited rights Gurage women have as opposed to the ''freedom of choice'' that is granted in the Constitution. The case reveals the difficulty of having two laws that have different understanding of human rights.Item Perceptions of empowerment: a study of muslim women living in the greater Cape Town Metropole(University of the Western Cape, 2011) Abrahams, Zulfa; Clowes, Lindsay; Women and Gender Studies; Faculty of ArtsThis thesis is a small scale in depth exploration into the perceptions of power held by eight Muslim women residing in the Cape Town Metropole area. Using a Qualitative Feminist approach the study aimed to explore and shed light on the multiple ways in which Muslim women negotiate, construct and co-construct agency, power and authority in their everyday lives. This study also sought to explore whether Muslim women who appear independent or empowered actually feel in control of their own lives; and how their ability to make choices is mediated by intersecting identities such as race, class, age, etc. The research highlights a number of emergent themes in which discussion of the women views around education, finance, reproductive responsibilities, patriarchy, etc. takes place and also explores the ways in which the women contest and resist traditional cultural norms in their everyday experiences. Furthermore this study also sought to create a space where the researcher focused and refocused her gaze on the theoretical and epistemological aspects of her chosen method of enquiry in order to interrogate its merits and limits. Upon reflection the researcher also acknowledges that, similar to the participants, she also holds contradictory views on some of the issues discussed.Item "Passing women": gender and hybridity in the fiction of three female South African authors(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Marais, Marcia Helena; Lewis, DesireeA key aim of this study is to shed light on the representation of coloured women with reference to racial passing, using fictive characters depicted in Sarah Gertrude Millin�s (1924) God's Stepchildren, Zo� Wicomb's (2006) Playing in the Light, and Pat Stamat�los's (2005) Kroes, as presented by these three racially distinct female South African authors. Since I propose that literature provides a link between a subjective history and the under-represented narratives from the margins, I use literature to reimagine these. I analyse the ways in which the authors present 'hybrid' identities within their characters in different ways, and provide an explanation and contextual basis for the exploration of the theme of 'passing for and as white' within South Africa's complex history. I provide a sociological explanation of the act of racial passing in South Africa with reference to the United States by incorporating Nella Larsen's (1929) Passing. Since the analyses will concentrate on coloured females within the texts, gendered identity and female sexuality and stereotypes will be the focus. I look at the act and agent of passing, the role of raced and gendered performance in giving meaning to social identities, and the way in which the female body is constructed in racial terms in order to confer identity. Tracing the historical origins of coloured identity and coloured female identity, I interrogate this colonial, post-colonial, apartheid and post-apartheid history by employing a feminist lens. A combination of postcolonial feminist discourse analysis, sociological inquiry and feminist narrative analysis are therefore the methods I use to achieve my research aims. Chapter 1: The concepts of 'coloured', 'coloured identity', and 'passing' are introduced. I provide a historical overview of the origins of 'colouredness' in the South African context to examine the historical, ideological and social implications of the subject matter under discussion. Chapter 2: Set over a period between the years 1821 to 1921 God's Stepchildren deals with a family spanning four generations, bound by 'tainted' blood. I focus on the character Elmira who represents the third generation of the initial 'miscegenation'. I look at the effect the racist social milieu has on the author�s representation of coloured women and how this translates into apparently insurmountable beliefs that stereotypes equal nature. Chapter 3: Playing in the Light confronts racial passing through an unwitting passer and her intentionally passing parents. I analyse how Wicomb presents the protagonist's struggle to relocate her identity in contemporary South African society. I compare the attitudes toward race presented by the characters, especially across the two generations of passing women in the novel in order to demonstrate a progression in attitudes toward passing. Chapter 4: Kroes, published in 2005, is partially biographical. The novel is set in urban Cape Town and Johannesburg of the late 1950s to 1970. The protagonist, and central passing figure, narrates the story in the first person using Cape vernacular Afrikaans. I look at the way in which women are influenced by internalised inferiority, and how arbitrary skin pigmentation is deemed to decide their fate. Chapter 5: I draw together the common themes found in the three works of fiction, and draw inferences from my findings about the representation of coloured women.Item An assessment of the perceptions of parental practices which place children at-risk for abuse and neglect(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Cottee, Gail Janine; Roman, NicoletteThe aim of the study was to assess the perceptions of parental practices, which could place children at risk for abuse and neglect. This study used the quantitative method with a cross-sectional comparative design to examine and compare parental practices of parents, whose children were victims of abuse or neglect across gender, marital status and socio economic status. A sample of 163 participants (87 mothers and 76 fathers), who were either single or married and their socio economic status varied from the lower to the higher income group participated in the study. The participants completed the questionnaire, which was based on the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the data was analyzed by means of the Statistical Package in the Science (SPSS version 20). The results suggest that there are no significant differences between parents based on socio-economic status and marital status. However, there were significant differences between mothers? and fathers? care and overprotection. Furthermore, mothers were identified as being affectionless controlling in their parenting practices (low care and high overprotection) and fathers as affectionately constraining in their parenting practices (high care and high protection). Recommendations are provided for this studyItem Women's negotiation of alternative sexualities in the Western Cape: A Cape Town case study(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Mitchell, Sharrone CJ; Lewis, DesireeThis mini thesis is an exploratory study of the lived experiences of bisexual and lesbian women in the Western Cape with regard to how they claim agency and negotiate their individual sexualities. Using mixed methodologies this study aims to look at the ways in which bisexual and lesbian women negotiate their sexuality in a landscape dominated by heterosexual discourses. Also considered are the contradictory ways in which these women assert their roles as lesbians and bisexual individuals and how these roles serve to simultaneously reinforce and challenge the dominant order of heterosexuality. The conflicting views of the respondents are documented which further demonstrates the complexities surrounding sexuality. This research identifies and explores both international and local research already conducted on alternative sexualities and address the lack of black researchers' conduct of these studies on the African continent. The study also records an acknowledgement of the researcher's reflection that she too holds contradictory views on some of these issues.Item Experiences of gender and power relations among a group of black women holding leadership positions: a case study of six government departments in the Western Cape(University of the Western Cape, 2013) Mgcotyelwa, Nwabisa Bernice; Shefer, Tamara; Women and Gender StudiesIn this study, I explored the experiences of gender and power relations among a group of black women holding leadership positions in six government departments in the Western Cape. South Africa is in a process of transition and, to create a departure from the past, key objectives focus around the transformation of gender disparities and the eradication of racism and other forms of inequality and discrimination in all spheres of this society. There are many methods utilized to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the private and public sectors. However, there is a lack of research regarding the social environment for women once they have entered into these structures (Angevine, 2006). This study made use of a feminist qualitative methodology which guided the research. Six semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted in order to carry out an in-depth exploration of participants� experiences. After the participants had given consent, the interviews were audio-recorded, then transcribed verbatim. Data was analyzed in accordance with qualitative thematic analysis. All standard ethical considerations to protect the participants and the researcher were taken into account and practised throughout the research. The findings show evidence that black African women leaders in government departments have internalized learnt subservient characteristics; and that this serves to undermine their authority as leaders. Specifically, larger social power relations and traditional forms of authority undermine their capacity to express authority in work environments. They also experience both subtle and blatant racist and sexist prejudice in the form of stereotypes and hostility in the workplace. A minority of women managers actively oppose the gendered notions that undermine their leadership. Ultimately, black African women managers are not accepted or supported as legitimate leaders in the workplace. Women leaders are perceived to be incapable of performing effectively as leaders because of gender and racial stereotypes that serve as hindrances to their expression of leadership. The study found that some participants conform to the socially constructed notion of maintaining a work-life balance and this poses a challenge for such leaders. Those who are married attempt to balance career and life by maximizing on their management of their time. A number of women had made the personal decision to remain single in order to focus explicitly on their careers.Item An exploration of the perceptions of non-admitting sex offenders of their family environment(University of the Western Cape, 2014) Davids, Olivia Davene; Londt, MThis study aims to explore the family environment of non-admitting sex offenders in order to gain insight into the family characteristics that could be contributing factors towards the behaviour of denial. However, the focus will not be on the families of the sex offenders, but rather on the non-admitting sex offenders� views of their family environment. The theoretical framework used is the Social Learning Theory, because it supports the fact that most behaviour is learned through modelling the behaviour of others. The researcher used a qualitative approach and the aim of the study was to generate information that would describe the family environment of non-admitting sex offenders. The population of this study was incarcerated, sentenced sex offenders with specific focus on the non-admitting sex offender as the unit of analysis. Ten (10) participants were purposively selected for the study and semi-structured interviews were conducted with each one in order to generate the needed information for the studyItem Migration and body politics: a study of migrant women workers in Bellville, Cape Town(University of the Western Cape, 2015) Chireka, Kudzai; Lewis, DesireeMigration has become very prominent in South Africa, and unlike most countries on the continent, it is an extremely prominent destinations for migrants. The country attracts migrants because there is a common perception that there are better economic opportunities, jobs and living conditions within South Africa. Countries like Zimbabwe, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Senegal, Mozambique and Nigeria are statistically high ranking in migrants entering South Africa on a daily basis (Stats SA, 2011). Most forced migration research seeks to explain the behaviour, impact, and challenges faced by the displaced with the intention of influencing agencies and governments to develop more effective responses to address the challenges. As a case study focusing on women, gender and migration at the micro-level, this study deals with the gendered and classed experiences and struggles of women migrants working as hairdressers in street salons in Bellville, Cape Town. The study explores how women who are socially marked as �other� in terms of gender, class, space, identity and nationality navigate an environment in which social worth and belonging is constantly defined by physical appearance and the environment in which the body is physically located. Through a feminist qualitative research method, the study focuses mainly on women�s experiences through interviews and participant observation. The research is therefore deeply grounded and rooted in feminist theoretical perspective and feminist methodological approaches in order to understand women�s lives and gender roles, their body politics and working lives. One of the major findings of this study is that the lack of a gendered analysis of migration has perpetuated stereotypes about who �migrants� are, what access they can have in a foreign country, in what ways they are considered �other�, and, most importantly, how they respond to their experiences of �othering� and political marginalization. It is argued that migration has been constantly changing: many contemporary migrant women are driven by adventure, desire and spirit, and not by famine, war, spouses and poverty. This study therefore develops recommendations for future researchers and policy makers in considering gender and the dynamic changes surrounding migration.Item Gendered dynamics in South African astrophysics: A case study of the South African Astronomical Observatory(University of the Western Cape, 2016) Bongwana, Thembelihle; Lewis, Desiree; Holbrook, JaritaThis study explores the nuances around gendered dynamics, attitudes, ideologies, values and knowledge that exist within astronomy and astrophysics institutions paying specific attention to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) as study site. This study investigated implicit and explicit ways in which SAAO spaces and practices are gendered and hierarchized, and the extent to which 'astronomy as a specific discipline within science' remains highly masculinized. By focusing on studies on power, feminist critiques of science and institutional culture in other South African sectors, especially higher education, the study deconstructs a field that has been relatively neglected in South African feminist studies of gendered institutional culture. This thesis makes use of feminist qualitative methodological approaches and fuses mixed methods to collect data. The use of participant observation enabled a broader understanding of the context and to gain an understanding of how gendered, classed and raced subjects construct and navigate social meanings in the hierarchized and symbolically marked space of the SAAO.Item Exploring the dualisms of 'belonging': Young women's performances of citizenship in Cape Town(University of the Western Cape, 2016) Van Vuuren, Monique; Lewis, DesireeMy research involves a nuanced exploration of 'citizenship', through examining the liberatory potential of young women's use of social media and performance of embodied subjectivities in the post-Apartheid imaginary. By tracing expressions of self, specifically women�s highly imaginative efforts to represent what selfhood means to them and how it shapes their realities, I question conventional understandings of civic participation. The forms of communication and self-expression that many young women in Cape Town pursue are often considered apolitical, frivolous or trivial. By comprehensively exploring self-expression as a participant, I show that it is often richly but complicatedly politicized. My analysis is based on four women�s narratives and meaning-making processes, although my methodological approach involves detailed attention to my own location and interactions with participants. Guided by feminist explorations of the relevance of standpoint theorizing, I seek to understand the various visual and textual ways in which a small group of young women in Cape Town is currently making sense of their social identities, understandings of freedom and potential as social actors. I also draw on methodological work that questions the tendency, even among many feminist researchers, to reduce the knowledge of their participants to manageable data. In so doing, my aim is to try to make sense of the content and forms of young women's knowledge making on their own terms.Item Human trafficking across a border in Nigeria: Experiences of young women who have survived trafficking(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Oyebanji, Kemi Fisayo; Ngabaza, SisaHuman trafficking is a global issue that most countries have battled to control and combat in recent times. It is exploitative, abusive and violates human rights. Research showing the prevalence of human trafficking in mostly underdeveloped and developing countries with slack border controls and ineffective immigration activities seem to foreground women as victims in most cases. Although men, women and children are all prone to trafficking, young women and girls are more vulnerable due to political, economic and social factors. This study focuses on the experiences of young women who survived trafficking. Working within a qualitat ive feminist framework, this study explores the lived experiences of trafficked young women across a border in Nigeria. Five participants aged twenty to twenty-five were selected through convenience and snowballing sampling. Narrative thematic analysis was used as a methodology for data analysis. Findings from this study clearly show multiple factors which contribute to young women's vulnerability to trafficking. Some of the factors included family instability, feminization of poverty and gender inequality, which saw male children preferred over their female counterparts. Low levels of education and lack of care and support from the family further emerged as a source of vulnerability to trafficking for young women due to their low level of education. Gender and sexuality played a role in the reason for trafficking in this case, because all of the survivors were trafficked for the purpose of commercial sex work.Item "Access to tertiary education": Exploring the experiences of women with physical disabilities in Kamwala, Zambia(University of the Western Cape, 2017) Matambo, Luyeye Hope; Ngabaza, SisaWomen with disabilities are marginalised in many aspects of societal participation. The majority of women with disabilities in Zambia do not have access to education and this has placed them amongst the poorest of people in the country. The study focuses on the experiences of women with physical disabilities and investigates the challenges they encounter in accessing education at tertiary level. The study comes at a time when the fight for gender equality has gained momentum and aims at promoting economic participation for all members of society without discrimination on the basis of sex or disability. The study engaged ten participants from a tertiary institution in Kamwala, Lusaka. I conducted a feminist qualitative research, which focused on the experiences of 19-30 year old female students with physical disabilities. I used semi-structured interviews in order to collect the data and drew on a qualitative thematic analysis to analyse the data. All standard ethical procedures were adhered to, including anonymity and confidentiality with respect to participants. The results of the study revealed that women with disabilities were often �othered� due to myths and misconceptions that surrounded disability especially in the African- traditional context. The study also revealed that families played a very important role in ensuring that women and young girls with disabilities had a strong self-image, strong self-esteem and a strong sense of self and ensuring that they felt included within the homes and especially when accessing education. The study further revealed that where family support was lacking, participants faced challenges in accessing education compared to participants who received such support. More so, that educational opportunities in Zambia are generally gendered with more males than females in the education system, across the multiple levels. Access to the tertiary level for this group of women is compromised because challenges in accessing education start at the lower levels and have spill over effects in to the higher levels of education. Financial challenges experienced by women with disabilities and their families also led to fewer women with disabilities being able to participate in schooling. This is because where there were limited resources within the family, women, and girls with disabilities getting an education was not an option.