Does Gender Impact Disability?
Does gender impact disability?
It’s an interesting, complicated question that is finally being asked and more than we can completely unpack in a few paragraphs. But the simple answer is “yes.”
Based on US Census data, more women than men in the US have a disability, with the gap increasing significantly with age. Cross-country studies by the National Institute of Health have shown similar discrepancies in multiple countries, though at widely varying rates. Part of this difference is attributed to biological factors: longer life span and lower bone density in women or conditions that are related to certain chromosomes or hormones. Much of the disparity is attributed to social inequities based on gender.
Disability impacts genders differently in many ways. Women are more likely to experience disabilities related to their mobility. Men are more likely to experience hearing loss. Down syndrome occurs slightly more often in males. Multiple sclerosis is three times more likely in women.
But the reality of gender differences in disability isn’t reflected in our perceptions of disability.
For instance, the stereotypical media depiction of autism is a white, heterosexual, cis-gender male. This misrepresentation of the vast variety of personal identities with autism has an impact on who is diagnosed and can access certain supports. The National Institute on Health has estimated that 80% of females with autism remain undiagnosed by the age of 18. The traits of autism often present differently depending on gender, much like heart attack symptoms.
It's an accurate but bleak comparison, considering that women are more likely than men to die from a heart attack, simply because their symptoms present differently than the stereotypical male heart attack.
Furthermore, most of the limited studies of gender and disability have focused on gender as a binary. When we add the entire spectrum of gender identity and expression, the question becomes even more complex. People who are trans or gender diverse have an even greater likelihood of being or becoming disabled.
The intersection of disability and gender discrimination also means that women, transgender, and gender diverse people are more likely than both men with disabilities and their nondisabled peers to experience poverty, unemployment, homelessness, and negative health outcomes.
These disparities lead me to several important conclusions.
Our collective picture of the face of disability is overwhelmingly wrong, leading to misdiagnoses, missed diagnoses, and bias.
Inequities in research, treatments, and health care access are likely contributing to an increased number of women developing disabilities during their lifetimes.
Significantly more attention needs to be given to disability as it manifests in people who are trans and gender diverse.
In recent years, there have been improvements in the recognition of gender disparities in disabilities. Perhaps those disparities will never be eliminated, but we can do better. I have faith that with enough focus on the issue, we will.