Bradley, Ciara (2022) Still waters run deep: The invisible life of working mothers with disabilities in Lithuania. Qualitative Social Work. pp. 1-19. ISSN 1473-3250

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Abstract

This article explores the challenges faced by women with disabilities in combining the roles of ‘mother’ and ‘worker’ in Lithuania and reflects on the strategies mothers employed to overcome these. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with twenty women with a variety of (dis)abling conditions and diverse life experiences between 2014 and 2018. In-depth thematic analysis by qualitative research teams revealed a constant tension in women’s aspirations to have a family and work. This revealed women’s enormous personal resources which facilitated them to overcome challenges they faced in motherhood as well as seemingly insurmountable obstacles to employment. However, within the vicious circle of social and economic challenges, they fought their battles with silent compliance, which hid their experiences and potentially denied them opportunities for support. This research reveals a policy response in Lithuania that categorises disability as an individual issue to be overcome rather than a socially constructed experience. The findings indicate the need for reframing understanding at macro, as well as micro-level policy interventions. At the micro-level, sensitive forms of professional support would help mothers with disabilities to choose more pronounced strategies of coping while also maintaining their dignity and privacy. These findings provide insights into the specific situation of women in Lithuania but are also relevant to many other contexts.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	disability; employment; Motherhood; silence; strategies;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Applied Social Studies
Item ID:	16685
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250221091995
Depositing User:	Dr Ciara Bradley
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2022 15:35
Journal or Publication Title:	Qualitative Social Work
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Refereed:	No
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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