Employment Discrimination Against Women with Severe Disabilities: A Phenomenological Approach Focused on Double Discrimination in the Labor Market

This study explored the structure and meaning of employment-related double discrimination experienced by women with severe disabilities in the labor market. Nine women with disabilities participated in the study, and in-depth interviews were conducted using Giorgi’s phenomenological method. Analysis of their narratives yielded 57 meaning units, 16 emergent themes, and 7 essential themes. The findings revealed a cyclical process: participants entered the labor market with a “boundary of hope,” but after entry, they experienced “isolation under stigma,” “walls of prejudice,” “withheld competence,” “excluded voices,” and “the paradox of protection,” ultimately leading to a “cycle of silence.” These experiences were not isolated incidents but interconnected structural issues that undermined job stability and career development for women with disabilities. Based on these findings, the study proposes policy and practice measures to reduce employment discrimination. Policy recommendations include expanding blind recruitment and involving interviewers with disabilities to ensure fair evaluation, clarifying roles between personal care and workplace support while improving working conditions, enhancing access to career development education, and establishing a legislative foundation through the enactment of a Basic Act on Women with Disabilities. Practical strategies include organizational awareness training, promoting success stories, and building psychological and emotional support systems. This study highlights the need for integrated employment policies that reflect the intersection of gender and disability and calls for further empirical research and institutional evaluations covering a broader range of disability types.