"Access to tertiary education": Exploring the experiences of women with physical disabilities in Kamwala, Zambia
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Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Women 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.
Description
Magister Artium - MA (Women and Gender Studies)
Keywords
Women, Physical disabilities, Access, Tertiary education, Gender, Lusaka, Zambia, Lived experiences, Subjective knowledge, Feminist qualitative research