More and more women are focusing on career options and integrating themselves into the workforce (making up 47% of the paid workforce in 2006, up 10% from 1976; Statistics Canada, 2006) with the decision to start a family more often seen now as a side option. In 2009, 88% of two-parent families in Canada consisted of the mother staying at home to take care of the children (Statistics Canada, 2010). No matter how many mothers maintain a career and have a family, women are still seen as the primary caregiver of their children. For this reason, mothers are socialized to experience more guilt for having a career and not focusing solely on raising their children, while men feel guilt if they cannot provide adequate financial support for their children. This usually leaves women at home to raise the children, and men in the workplace. Obviously then, motherhood is a demanding and time-consuming position to undertake. For this reason, society not-so-subtly encourages women with disabilities to think twice, or not at all, about motherhood.
As Mullaly (2007) states, "Women have the greatest responsibility for the family, including child care" (p.161). In a country with many conservative thoughts regarding people with disabilities, it is expected that if you cannot take care of yourself, then you are not capable of having children. With society thinking: If a woman with a physical disability has a hard time reaching a shelf at Safeway, how can she possibly take care of her children? Not only are mothers with disabilities facing challenges about their physical disability, they are also trying to prove themselves as mothers to the public (Malacrida, 2009).
There is very little, if any, accessibility for the people with physical disabilities at child playgrounds and play areas in the public (Malacrida, 2009). This may mean that mothers with physical disabilities are forced to let their children go to the park with their friends' mother because they are not accepted in that environment. This can easily be construed by others as the mother with a physical disability being incapable of performing a simple task of motherhood. When the problem should so easily be fixed by making all children facilities disability friendly, not only for the sake of children with disabilities, but for mothers with disabilities as well.
Women with physical disabilities also receive minimal, if any, information about sex and reproduction because they are assumed to not have sex or to become mothers (Collins, 1999). Not only do women with physical disabilities lack the choice of motherhood based on physical barriers, and feel additional pressure and scrutiny from the public, but are also so blatantly made unaware of reproduction so as to set in stone that they will not become mothers. Every person deserves to make choices that effect and influence their life to such a great extent; people in our society now just need to realize how people with physical disabilities are just as much a person with free will as the rest of us.
References:
Collins, C. (1999). Reproductive Technologies for Women with Physical Disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 17(4), 299-307.
Malacrida, C. (2009). Performing motherhood in a disablist world: dilemmas of motherhood,
femininity and disability. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 22(1), 99- 117.
Mullaly, B. (2007). The New Structural Social Work (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Statistics Canada. (1976-2006). Retrieved November 24, 2010, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89f0133x/89f0133x2006000-eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2010). Retrieved November 24, 2010, from http://www42.statcan.ca/smr08/2010/smr08_143_2010-eng.htm
Mullaly, B. (2007). The New Structural Social Work (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Statistics Canada. (1976-2006). Retrieved November 24, 2010, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89f0133x/89f0133x2006000-eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2010). Retrieved November 24, 2010, from http://www42.statcan.ca/smr08/2010/smr08_143_2010-eng.htm
-Avery F
I believe you brought up a very important subject about motherhood and disabilities. It's so sad and that women with disabilities are often considered unqualified to have children. I was also surprised to hear that women with disabilities are assumed not to have children. Disabilities should not be a discrimination against motherhood. Great post!
ReplyDeleteSarah H
I even found some information in the 1994 article by Collins that women with disabilities were given a treatment administered without their consent that prevents pregnancy and often had very harmful side effects. It's extremely sad how these women are treated.
ReplyDelete-Avery Fedorchuk
Good insight! It's disturbing to realize how what most people take for granted, like the right to start a family, disabled women struggle for. Especially as this is not something that has been widely publicized. Do you think there is the same stigma attached to disabled men who wish to start a family?
ReplyDelete-Erin Roche
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe that there is still negative stigma attached to physically disabled fathers, but it just does not seem to be the same. Since mothers are still the primary caregivers to children, they must be able to do everything. From a working perspective however, I believe they have more judgments from society if they cannot work to support their family.
-Avery Fedorchuk
I never really thought about how difficult it is for mothers who are physically disabled at public places like a park. You bring up a good point how difficult it is for those women who aren't able to play or watch their children because of the inaccessibility. Government should be taking into consideration the struggles that these mothers are facing and maybe try to find ways to make it easier on them. As you mentioned women are the primary caregivers for the family I think it would be worth it for the government to do this.
ReplyDeleteIt is also disturbing to hear that women who are physically disabled are discouraged for trying to start a family. They should have every opportunity as another mother would have in having a baby. Good post!
-Jessica VL
Really good post! I feel that women with physical disabilities have the same right as women without physical disabilities to have children. However I do think it would also be more difficult, but not impossible!
ReplyDelete- Brettany G.
Hello Avery, I didn’t realize that having children was something society didn’t think women with disabilities should do. I have learned about many barriers that women with disabilities face both in private and public conditions but this issue isn’t something I heard much about. While reading your post all I could think about is how society needs to make it possible for these women with disabilities to have the same abilities with her children not prevent them from having children. A woman with a disability has the same amount of love to give as anyone else.
ReplyDeleteNicole G
This is a really good post Avery! I think you really raised awareness to a subject that was not thought about much before by many people. I did not really realize this was such an issue until I heard you talk about it when we were preparing for our group presentation. I think it is so sad for women with disabilities to not have the same fair chance as women without. Wanting to be a mother is something in the heart, and if you want children, it should not matter what your condition or situation is, you should not be denied that pleasure. Also, I agree women are more naturally the primary caregiver to their children, but that's not to say that the father cannot help out if the mother is in need of assistance.
ReplyDelete-Marina R