In the shadow of gender equality: women with disabilities on International Women's Day

On the occasion of International Women's Day, we are taking a special look at the situation of women with disabilities - a group whose concerns are still too often ignored despite significant progress in gender equality. Almost one in five women worldwide is affected by a disability. In Germany, 12.3% of the female population was officially recognized as disabled in 2021. These figures do not reflect the full reality, as women who are chronically ill without an officially recognized degree of disability, for example, are not taken into account.

These women face multiple discrimination - not only because of their gender, but also because of their disability. Additional factors such as experience of flight, being a single parent, being affected by poverty or other can further increase the risk of discrimination in various areas of life. For example, women with disabilities are at least twice as likely to experience violence as women without disabilities, with alarming figures of up to 68% of girls with disabilities worldwide experiencing sexual violence before reaching the age of consent.

Intersectional multiple discrimination is clearly manifested in the German labor market. Integration into the primary labor market is generally more difficult for people with disabilities, but women with disabilities are even more affected. Their employment opportunities and promotion prospects fall far short of their potential, they earn lower net incomes and are less likely to hold management positions than men with disabilities. Part-time employment, e.g. due to care responsibilities, further exacerbates the already increased risk of poverty in old age for women, and employees with disabilities report a significantly higher level of stress at work in some cases, with women with severe disabilities reporting the highest levels of stress and lowest levels of job satisfaction compared to men with severe disabilities and women and men without disabilities.

Even these brief insights into the realities of life for women - and girls - with disabilities show: gender mainstreaming needs disability mainstreaming and vice versa. International Women's Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges specific to women with disabilities. We must continue to find ways to make society more inclusive and ensure that women and girls with disabilities can fully enjoy their rights and participate in society. We appeal to break down barriers, create visibility and promote equality for all women.