Gender inequalities in work, income, and benefits are central issues facing women with disabilities. The chartbook raises a number of research questions about women with disabilities and their participation in the labor force that must be answered with further research. Women with disabilities are doubly disadvantaged in the workplace, with lower labor force participation and lower income than other women as well as men with and without disabilities. Increased attention must be paid to the work patterns of women with disabilities over the life course and the relationship of those patterns to employment opportunities, income levels and related benefits. Chartbook findings reveal that fewer women than men receive services from Vocational Rehabilitation.
Research is needed to investigate gender differences and suggest solutions to inequities.
The chartbook raises a number of research questions about other kinds of issues faced by women with disabilities during middle adulthood. Data show that women with activity limitations are less likely to be married and more likely to be widowed than other women and men with and without disabilities. This finding, however, is probably related to women's greater longevity. National survey research is needed to investigate patterns of family formation among younger women with disabilities, as well as to better understand the relationship between disability and widowhood in later life. National-level findings presented in the chartbook on screening for breast and cervical cancer need further investigation.