Study Finds Employer Practices Hinder Opportunities for Disabled Women

For years I have been frustrated that there is limited research into the career and leadership growth of women with disabilities despite there being over 20 million disabled women in the United States. What we do know is that disabled women are undereducated, underemployed, and under-invested in as leaders due to societal barriers such as sexism, racism, and ableism. The lack of research on this matter led to “Disabled Women in the Working World: Bias and Barriers that Hinder Workplace Advancement,” a new report by Disability EmpowHer Network, which was published on International Women’s Day.

The study surveyed 445 hiring professionals about their hiring practices, professional development and employee benefits, and disability representation within their organizations to gain perspective on the regular business practices that may hinder the career growth for women with disabilities. The study found that 44% of respondents had no women with disabilities in leadership or management positions and 47% of companies have no formal process in place for employees to ask for disability accommodations. Further, at least one-quarter of respondents indicated that they would not offer basic accommodations during the interview process, despite the Americans with Disabilities Act requiring businesses with 15 or more employees to offer reasonable accommodations.

Notably, nearly 50% of respondents said that tax incentives would motivate them to hire disabled women, however, most were unaware of existing tax credits for hiring people with disabilities.

Furthermore, to increase the potential of women with disabilities being hired and promoted to leadership positions, the study asked HR professionals what skills would influence the hiring or promotion of disabled women in their organizations. Respondents listed problem-solving, the ability to work with a team, professionalism, confidence and determination, and dependability represented the top five. The author of the study aptly noted that “these skills are not always easy for a disabled applicant to demonstrate on a resume or in an interview in order to show their proficiency. Problem-solving and teamwork skills are often teachable and are evident in the daily lives of women with disabilities. The inaccessibility of society means women with disabilities regularly problem solve and work with others in professional settings, transit, household, and caregiving duties.”

 “Hiring professionals having a bias against women with disabilities wasn’t surprising,” said Valerie Novack, lead author of the paper and a disability issues researcher, “But the sheer amount of employers who make hiring decisions based on stereotypes and stigmatizing views of disability was very disappointing.”