Contemporary representations of disability and interpersonal relationships of disabled women in south-western Nigeria

abstract

Amid the sociocultural fluidity of modernisation, disability has risen to prominence in development debates. Disability has increasingly been viewed as neglect and sociocultural obstruction. The existence of these social realities has created a segregated society with respect to disability that both stems from and perpetuates cultural stereotypes of disability. In addition, the foregoing debate seemingly excludes analysis of oppression of women with disability from Nigeria's social-cultural discourse. This article examines the nature of the contemporary social construction of disability, and looks at the ways in which these constructions affect the interpersonal relationships of disabled women. For this article 40 young disabled adult women in south-western Nigeria provided information about their views of disabilities, and how these views continue to influence their interpersonal relationships. Findings from this study show that continued negative representations of women with disabilities as helpless, incompetent, asexual and intellectually challenged continue to affect the lives of disabled women in contemporary societies. In addition, the reproduction of disability stereotypes and gender serves to reinforce male and able-bodied hegemony in intimate relationships. In the face of contemporary socio-economic contraditions the article suggests that disability and social policy require a parallel renegotiation, because the experience of women with disabilities is an integral part of a society characterised by fundamental ideologies and social inequalities which misrepresent and destroy disabled peoples’ lives, and divide people against each other.

Keywords:

• disability
• social constructions
• gender
• interpersonal relationships
• south-western Nigeria

Notes

1. A pterygium is a non-cancerous growth of the scleral conjunctiva that invades the cornea but contains blood vessels and can form scar tissue, which can permanently disfigure the eye.

2. The problems of transcending cultural differences in conceptualising impairment, disability and other determining social constructs may not be intractable but they tend to be difficult to overcome.

3. Nigeria consists of three major ethnic groups: Yoruba, Hausa and Ibo. The present study only covers two Yoruba areas in south-western Nigeria. The Yoruba are people with distinctive customs and dialects. They are composed of several independent and small sub-ethnic groups, between which there are fewer differences in culture than between the group as a whole in the modern day. For Oyo Town (in Oyo State) they are located across the geographical centre of the Yoruba nation. Ilaro, one of the prominent towns in Yewaland in Ogun State, lies between the territory of the Yewas (formerly known as Egbados) and the international boundary with Benin Republic (Afolayan, 2014b; Asiwaju, 2004).

4. All names used in this article are pseudonyms to ensure anonymity.

Additional information

GBENGA EMMANUEL AFOLAYAN researches and writes in the areas of education, development administration, governance, ICT for development, gender justice and human rights. He focuses on issues of sociology of development and education, public policy, gender and social justice, mobile studies and development administration. His current research explores the evolving responsibilities of government to respect the rights of marginalised and socially excluded groups (widows, persons with disabilities, girl child, etc.), various efforts to hold government accountable for alleged rights violations, and efforts to fill voids in international development. Gbenga is particularly interested in issues relating to Africa and South Asia. He is a PhD candidate and research fellow at Murdoch University, Australia.