Does Motherhood Empower Women with Physical Disabilities? An Exploratory Qualitative Study Based on the Narratives of Women with Disabilities in Rural China

Motherhood is one of the major social roles women are expected to play, but it is a complicated issue for women with disabilities. This study is the first attempt to explore the motherhood experience of women with physical disabilities in rural China. Guided by the interpretive paradigm, we adopted a qualitative research method and drew upon qualitative analysis to examine the motherhood experiences of the research participants. Nine women with disabilities from rural areas who had children were recruited by following purposive sampling method, and the semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. As the respondents expressed both the pain and the joy of motherhood, three main themes emerged from in-depth interviews: (1) Choice to be mothers: decision based on the logic of family life; (2) Disability and reconstruction of daily life experiences: pressure, guilt, and stigma; (3) Reflections on being mothers. The findings present the significance of this topic within the fields of disability studies and feminist motherhood studies. A deep analysis of the unique motherhood experiences of rural women with disabilities offers valuable insights into the contextual complexities of disability motherhood and highlights the need for empowering approaches to support them effectively.