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Unemployment in women with psychosocial disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons from Tana River County, Kenya

  • Ikenna D. Ebuenyi*
  • , Isaiah Gitonga
  • , Albert Tele
  • , Elena V. Syurina
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In low-income settings, the informal economy is a practical alternative to work and employment for persons with disabilities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the informal economy. This study aimed to explore the experiences of women with psychosocial disabilities in Kenya during the pandemic. We found that the pandemic worsened their experiences of work and employment, and they did not receive any social welfare or support from the government. Our findings suggest that pandemic management must adopt inclusive and context-sensitive approaches that support persons with psychosocial disabilities. Social welfare and protection for persons with disabilities are relevant for socio-economic empowerment and inclusion.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1018-1027
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of International Development
Volume34
Issue number5
Early online date25 Feb 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This project was supported by the Voice Empowerment Grant #507997.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of International Development published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Funding

This project was supported by the Voice Empowerment Grant #507997.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
    SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • inclusive employment
  • Kenya
  • psychosocial disability
  • social welfare and protection
  • women

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