Our Women and Well-Being analysis, released in October, revealed the disproportionate burden of economic stressors on women in their prime working and childbearing ages and the subsequent toll on well-being. In this new Women and Disabilities report we explore an additional factor that has a major impact on well-being: Managing a physical or emotional condition that interferes with daily activity.
Our report sheds a light on important findings related to women and disabilities in 2024 (and beyond). First, disabilities are common.
- Disability impacts women of all ages: Over a third of women age 50+ and one in four women under age 50 currently have some type of limiting illness or injury.
- Two in ten (21%) women say they formally qualify as having a disability.
- 54% of women experiencing disability are caregivers.
The below factors contribute to the finding that fewer than half of women with a disability feel they are meeting or close to meeting their personal goals.
- 64% of women with a disability faced financial challenges in the past year, such as difficulty finding a well-paying job with good benefits, affordable food, housing, healthcare, and childcare.
- 78% faced physical health problems or mental health challenges in the past year.
Find our full report here [PDF].
Why do we conduct this research?
We often touch on these topics in work we do with clients, and we find that conducting our own studies, as we have for past decade, gives us the freedom to explore what motivates people more holistically, providing a fuller context for understanding decision-making.
