Empowering the unseen: the agency of women with disabilities in tackling poverty across rural and urban landscapes

Woyo, Erisher ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0776-6645, Venganai, Hellen and Benhura, Abigail (2025) Empowering the unseen: the agency of women with disabilities in tackling poverty across rural and urban landscapes. Disability and Society. pp. 1-27. ISSN 0968-7599

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Abstract

Despite increasing recognition of the agency of marginalised groups, the specific agency of women with disabilities from a poverty perspective remains underexplored in academic research. This study addresses this gap by investigating how women with disabilities navigate and mitigate poverty in both rural and urban settings. Drawing on qualitative research conducted with women from resource-constrained contexts, this paper examines the varied experiences and strategies that women with disabilities use to overcome systemic barriers. Our work contributes to an understanding of how agency is exercised by women with disabilities across different contexts, demonstrating their resilience and resourcefulness in the face of intersecting challenges. The analysis places this discussion within the broader discourse on disability and intersectionality, examining the complex relationships between gender, disability, and poverty, and emphasising the role of agency in these experiences.