Lived experiences of young black women with physical disabilities in Lesotho
| dc.contributor.advisor | Coetzee, Jan K. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Rafoneke, Seithati | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-07-14T08:56:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-07-14T08:56:41Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-02 | |
| dc.description.abstract | English: This research study aims to improve our understanding of the intersectionality between disability, race/ethnicity, identity, religion, social class and gender and the ways in which these impact on how women with physical disabilities perceive and make meaning of their everyday life experiences and how they think society perceives them. The study therefore aims to understand the world from the point of view of young African women with physical disabilities in Lesotho. Different theoretical lenses that will assist us in making sense of the research participants’ lifeworlds are used. Phenomenology, together with its specific concepts—lifeworld and intersubjectivity—are discussed. This research study also pays attention to existential sociology as the study of human existence. It discusses how emotions impact on the lives of women with physical disabilities and how they influence social relations and human activity. The existential self is discussed as one of the main concepts of existential sociology. Furthermore, the research turns to the issue of the social construction of reality which provides us with a basis for the identification of the body, gender and disability construction. It also focuses on the feminist disability theory, with specific attention on the importance of integrating disability into feminist conceptions of intersectionality. This qualitative study made use of purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured in-depth interviews are utilized to elicit data on participants’ personal life histories, experiences and perceptions. The research schedule is used as an important tool to guide the interviews. The collected data is transcribed into Sesotho, translated into English and then analysed thematically. Overall, the narratives of eight research participants aged between 21 and 35 generated five themes encompassing gender and femininity; the impact of the disabled body on claiming identity; religion; acceptance of disability; and the challenges faced by young women with physical disabilities in Lesotho. The principal theme is gender and femininity which plays an important part in constructing a disabled identity. The study concludes that women with physical disabilities are isolated, stigmatised and discriminated against as a result of their disabilities. The responses of the research participants to situations of oppressive behaviour reflect their status as an oppressed group. Women with physical disabilities experience oppressive behaviour such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse from able-bodied individuals. This oppressive behaviour leads to women with physical disabilities being treated as unable and unfit to perform many gendered roles that are believed to be culturally and socially acceptable. They experience a limitation of rights, including the right to employment, to bear children, to live independently, to have an intimate partner and to get married. African women with physical disabilities remain one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups and attention is given to how they experience disability. Within this study, an effort is made to enhance our understanding of the everyday life experiences of young African women with physical disabilities in order to fill the gap in previous literature. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Die doel van die studie is om ons begrip van die verband tussen gestremdheid, ras/etnisiteit, identiteit, godsdiens, sosiale klas en geslagtelikheid (gender) te verbeter, asook hoe vrouens met fisiese gestremdhede sin maak van hulle alledaagse ervaring en hoe hulle dink die samelewing hulle beskou. Die studie poog om die wêreld vanuit die oogpunt van jong Swart, fisies gestremde vrouens wat in Lesotho woonagtig is, te verstaan. Verskillende teoretiese lense word benut om sin te maak van die navorsings deelnemers se lewensbeskouings en lewenservarings. Fenomenologie, tesame met konsepte eie aan die benadering – leefwêreld en intersubjektiwiteit – word aangespreek. Die navorsingsprojek skenk ook aandag aan eksistensiële sosiologie as studie van die menslike bestaan. Dit bespreek hoe emosies op die lewens van vrouens met gestremdhede impakteer en ook hoe dit sosiale verhoudings en menslike aktiwiteite beïnvloed. Die eksistensiële self word aangeraak as een van die hoofkonsepte van eksistensiële sosiologie. Die studie spreek ook die sosiale konstruksie van die werklikheid aan, wat aan ons ‘n grondslag verskaf oor hoe identiteit, die liggaam en gestremdheid sosiaal gekonstrueer is. Die navorsingsprojek gee ook aandag aan feministiese gestremdheid (feminist disability) teorie, waar die belangrikheid om gestremdheid in ag te neem in feministiese konsepsies van interseksionaliteit beklemtoon word. Hierdie is ‘n kwalitatiewe studie wat gebruik gemaak het van doelbewuste en sneeubal steekproeftrekking. Semi-gestruktureerde in-diepte onderhoude is met die deelnemers gehou, wat aan hulle die geleentheid gegee het om hulle ervaringe te verbaliseer. ‘n Navorsingskedule was benut om die onderhoude te rig. Die data wat versamel is, is in Sesotho getranskribeer en dan na Engels vertaal. Dit is dan tematiese geanaliseer. Die narratiewe van hierdie agt deelnemers (wat tussen die ouderdomme van 21 to 35 is) het vyf temas gegenereer: Geslagtelikheid (gender) en vroulikheid; die impak van die gestremde liggaam op identiteit; godsdiens; aanvaarding van gestemdheid; die uitdagings wat gestremde vrouens in Lesotho konfronteer. Die hooftema is geslagtelikheid (gender) en vroulikeheid. Hierdie tema speel ‘n belangrike rol in die kontruksie van die gestremde identiteit. Die studie wys dat vrouens met fisiese gestremdhede, geïsoleer, gestigmatiseer en teen gediskrimeer word as gevolg van hulle gestremdheid. Die response van die deelnemers teenoor situasies van ‘n onderdrukkende aard reflekteer hulle status as ‘n minderheidsgroep. Vrouens met gestremdhede ervaar onderdrukking deur mense wat nie gestremd is nie. Hierdie onderdrukking neem die vorm van fisiese, emosionele en seksuele misbruik aan. Die vrouens word behandel asof hulle nie instaat (of goed genoeg) is om sekere aanvaarbare sosiale en kulturele geslagsrolle uit te voer nie. Hulle ervaar ook dat van hulle regte ingeperk word, wat insluit die reg tot indiensneming, om kinders te baar, om onafhanklik te lewe en om ‘n intieme verhoudingsmaat te hê en om te trou. Swart vrouens met fisiese gestremdhede, bly een van die mees gemarginaliseerde en kwesbare groepe in die samelewing en aandag word aan hulle gegee om uit die vind hoe hulle hul gestremdheid ervaar. Hierdie studie poog om ons begrip te verbeter oor die alledaagse ervarings van jong Swart vrouens met fisiese gestremdhede, en om sodoende ‘n gaping in die literatuur aan te spreek. | af |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/6478 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Medical model | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Social model | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Phenomenology | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Narrative inquiry | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Women | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Disability | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Identity | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Everyday life | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | People with disabilities -- Lesotho | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Women, Black -- Lesotho | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc. (Sociology))--University of the Free State, 2017 | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Lived experiences of young black women with physical disabilities in Lesotho | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en_ZA |