Livelihoods of young women with and without disabilities in KwaZulu-Natal during COVID-19
African Journal of Disability
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Livelihoods of young women with and without disabilities in KwaZulu-Natal during COVID-19 | |
| Creator | Hanass-Hancock, Jill Nzuza, Ayanda Willan, Samantha Padayachee, Thesandree Machisa, Mercilene Carpenter, Bradley | |
| Description | Background: Persons with disabilities are more likely to have poorer livelihood outcomes, including food insecurity. Inequalities are heightened for young women with disabilities, especially in times of crisis.Objectives: To understand the livelihood experience of young South African women with and without disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).Method: We conducted a longitudinal study with 72 young women with and without disabilities enrolled in tertiary institutions in eThekwini, South Africa. We undertook a series of in-depth interviews collecting quantitative and qualitative data, prompting participants’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, including living arrangements, impact on education, access to resources and food security.Results: Participants reported livelihood changes related to living arrangements, education, income, and social connectedness during the pandemic. Social grants (old-age pension, child support, disability grant) and student stipends were critical financial resources to ensure food security. Participants with disabilities were more likely to experience food insecurities and moderate hunger, with their households having less access to mitigating resources such as land or livestock. Deaf participants also reported social isolation.Conclusion: The study shows that social protection mechanisms mitigated the financial impact of the lockdown for all recipients but that participants with disabilities still struggled more than others to ensure food security. These additional challenges may be related to pre-existing inequalities, with participants with disabilities and their households having less access to natural resources and financial stability.Contribution: This paper focuses on young women with and without disabilities and provides insight into the similarities and differences in their experiences. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2024-07-19 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1400 | |
| Source | African Journal of Disability; Vol 13 (2024); 13 pages 2226-7220 2223-9170 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1400/2770
https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1400/2771
https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1400/2772
https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/1400/2773
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