Contending with the “Double Handicap”

To what extent do women with disabilities experience a “double handicap,” and how do the economic and social disparities they face affect political activism? This paper analyzes these disparities and political activism among women and men with and without disabilities using data from national household surveys conducted in 1998 and 2000. Women with disabilities have particularly low employment and income levels, and lower self-evaluations of civic skills and internal political efficacy, but are similar to men with disabilities in educational attainment and psychological well-being. Their overall political participation is lower than that of men and women without disabilities, which is primarily explained by lower employment and income levels and greater social isolation. They are less likely than men with disabilities to participate in several political activities, but equally likely to take action on disability issues and more likely to participate in protests and take action against perceived discrimination