Lived experiences of young Black women with physical disabilities in Lesotho By Seithati ...

194 Pages·2017·1.31 MB·English

by  Seithati Rafoneke

Lived experiences of young Black women with physical disabilities in Lesotho
By
Seithati Rafoneke

Dissertation submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree
MAGISTER IN SOCIAL SCIENCES: SOCIOLOGY (The Narrative Study of Lives)
In the
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
(Department of Sociology)
at the
UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE
February 2017
Bloemfontein, South Africa

Supervisor: Prof Jan K. Coetzee
(Department of Sociology, UFS)
DECLARATION
I, Seithati Rafoneke, declare that the research dissertation that I herewith submit for
the degree of Master’s of Social Sciences (Sociology) at the University of the Free
State is my independent work, and that I have not previously submitted it for a
qualification at another institution of higher education. I declare that I am aware that
the copyright is vested in the University of the Free State. I furthermore declare that
all royalties as regards intellectual property that was developed during the course of
and/or in connection with the study at the University of the Free State, will accrue to
the University.
…………………………
February 2017

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A very special word of thanks goes to the eight study participants who allowed me
insight into their personal stories. Your willingness to reveal your experiences have
allowed me to complete this dissertation. Thank you.
Most important of all, I would like to give many thanks to my supervisor Professor
Jan K. Coetzee: Prof Jan, thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in
the programme The Narrative Study of Lives. You are such an amazing supervisor
and really a true leader to look up to! Thank you for the words of encouragement
every day.
I would also like to thank Mrs Ackermann, for translating the summary into Afrikaans.

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DEDICATION
I dedicate this dissertation to my father Thabang Simon Rafoneke: Ntate Rafoneke
thank you for always being there for me and pushing me to achieve more than what I
ever thought I could [KEA LEBOHA MOKHATLA].

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SUMMARY
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.
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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.

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OPSOMMING
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
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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.

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KEY WORDS
Medical model
Social model
Phenomenology
Narrative inquiry
Women
Disability
Identity
Everyday life

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .......................................................... 3
1.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Phenomenology .................................................................................................. 4
1.2.1. Lifeworld ........................................................................................................... 6
1.2.2. Intersubjectivity ................................................................................................. 8
1.3. Existential sociology………………………………………………………………….10
1.4. Social construction of reality .............................................................................. 12
1.4.1. Social construction of the body....................................................................... 14
1.4.2. Social construction of gender ......................................................................... 16
1.4.3. Social construction of disability....................................................................... 18
1.5. Intersectionality ................................................................................................. 19
1.6. Feminist disability theory ................................................................................... 20
1.7. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 23
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................... 25
2.1. Disability in the global context ........................................................................... 25
2.2. Defining disability .............................................................................................. 27
2.3. Developmental and acquired disabilities ........................................................... 29
2.4. Causes of disability ........................................................................................... 30
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