Gender-Based Perspectives of Women with Disabilities in Kanyakumari District: Barriers at the Intersection and Paths to Empowerment

Abstract

This Paper Explores the interconnections of gender, disability, caste, and coastal livelihoods from 1980 to 2026 in order to better understand the compounded obstacles encountered by women with Differently Abled (WWDs) in Tamil Nadu Kanyakumari District. Triple exclusion patterns—family confinement, dowry violence, livelihood refutation, transportation barriers, and healthcare neglect—are revealed through feminist differently abled lens analysis of 30 women’s life histories, institutional records, SHG evaluations, community mappings, and policy audits. These patterns are contrasted with empowerment gains through faith-based tailoring collectives, peer advocacy networks, legal precedents, union leadership, and spatial reclamations. The results support complete intersectional policy structures that prioritize relational agency over individual metrics, setting them apart from previous district studies on perceptions, economics, CBR, or family care and adding new gendered frameworks to women rightist disability studies.