Becoming mothers: reproductive experiences and agency of women with physical disabilities

This qualitative study draws on in-depth interviews with six women with physical disabilities in Taiwan who gave birth within the past decade. Despite societal misconceptions and traditional gender expectations that often discourage their reproductive choices, these women, usually portrayed as ‘misfits’, negotiated institutional barriers and opportunities and built support networks tailored to their needs. Their narratives reveal mixed emotions around pregnancy, including concerns about genetic risk and difficulties accessing inclusive healthcare. Although Taiwan has incorporated international disability rights norms into domestic law, significant gaps remain in ensuring reproductive justice for women with disabilities. Informed by feminist disability theory’s critique of the ‘normate’, this study highlights how women with disabilities navigate, reclaim, and practise motherhood as a site of empowerment, shaping a transformative politics attentive to the intersecting oppressions of sexism and ableism.