Skip to main content
Palgrave Macmillan

Physical Disability and Sexuality

Stories from South Africa

  • Book
  • Open Access
  • © 2021

You have full access to this open access Book

Overview

  • Discusses disability and sexuality in South Africa analyzing myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities

  • Looks at how this myth of asexuality means that many young people with disabilities are excluded from sexual health education

  • Suggests education and public health policy changes in order to promote social inclusion

Buy print copy

Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Table of contents (10 chapters)

Keywords

About this book

This open access edited volume explores physical disability and sexuality in South Africa, drawing on past studies, new research conducted by the editors, and first-person narratives from people with physical disabilities in the country. Sexuality has long been a site of oppression and discrimination for people with disabilities based on myths and misconceptions, and this book explores how these play out for people with physical disabilities in the South African setting. One myth with which the book is centrally concerned, is that people with disabilities are unable to have sex, or are seen as lacking sexuality by society at large. Societal understandings of masculinity, femininity, bodies and attractiveness, often lead people with physical disabilities to be seen as being undesirable romantic or sexual partners. The contributions in this volume explore how these prevailing social conditions impact on the access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, involvement in romantic relationships, childbearing, and sexual citizenship as a whole, of people with physical disabilities in the Western Cape of the country. The authors' research, and first person contributions by people with physical disabilities themselves, suggest that education and public health policy must change, if the sexual and reproductive health rights and full inclusion of people with disabilities are to be achieved.    

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Xanthe Hunt, Leslie Swartz

  • Department of Health Research, SINTEF Digital, Oslo, Norway

    Stine Hellum Braathen

  • Southern African Federation of the Disabled, Gaborone, Botswana

    Mussa Chiwaula

  • UCL International Disability Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK

    Mark T. Carew

  • Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

    Poul Rohleder

About the editors

Xanthe Hunt is Senior Researcher at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Stine Hellum Braathen is Research Manager at SINTEF, Norway.

Mussa Chiwaula is Director of the Southern African Federation of the Disabled, Botswana.

Mark T. Carew is Honorary Research Associate at the UCL International Disability Research Centre, UK.

Poul Rohleder is Senior Lecturer at the University of Essex, UK.

Leslie Swartz is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.


Bibliographic Information

Publish with us