New research by Close the Gap reveals disabled women earn less, work harder, face doubt and judgement, and often struggle to get the support they need

Close the Gap has launched important new research, Excluded by Design, which explores disabled women’s experiences of employment in Scotland. Despite disabled women being among the most marginalised in the labour market, this is an underresearched area and their lived realities are rarely considered in policymaking or by employers.

More than 900 disabled women and women with long-term health conditions participated in the research which involved interviews, focus groups and a literature review. The research uncovers the discrimination they face at every stage of employment, from getting a job to accessing support, and progressing in their careers. This is because they’re disabled, but also because they’re women – with racially minoritised disabled women also facing racialised discrimination.  

The research shows that disabled women earn less, work harder, face doubt and judgement, and often struggle to get the support they need.  

During recruitment processes around a quarter (26%) felt they’d been discriminated against when applying for a job, with this rising to a third (33%) for neurodivergent women. Only 17% felt that their employer provided clear opportunities for them to progress at work, with 58% strongly agreeing or agreeing that their non-disabled colleagues have more access to promotion opportunities than they do.  

One survey respondent said: 

“Progression feels difficult due to biases against working from home. I’m very cautious about potentially moving to a new role/area where I have to fight for my adjustments again.” 

Three quarters (74%) felt they had been judged at work by their manager, colleagues or customers because of their condition/impairment. Just over half (52%) had had their performance questioned at work because of attitudes to their condition/impairment, while 16% were involved in a formal performance review and 36% in an informal review. The impact of this is clear, with vast majority (81%) saying they had felt the need to overcompensate or work harder at their job to prove that they were as capable as colleagues. 

A focus group participant said: 

“You have to doubly demonstrate [your ability]; mediocre men have got things that women somehow missed out on, and there’s that additional layer of disability on it.” 

She added that this pressure is compounded for people of colour, who are often taught from a young age that they must be ‘better than the rest’ because of the systemic advantages afforded to others. 

Employers have a legal duty to provide reasonable adjustments, but the research reveals disabled women’s access needs are often unmet in the workplace.  When they asked for reasonable adjustments, most disabled women (64%) waited weeks or months, only got partial adjustments, or never receive them at all. 

From inaccessible job interviews to line managers who don’t understand their legal duties, disabled women have to navigate a gauntlet of barriers while having to work harder and advocate for their rights.  

One survey respondent said:  

“I felt like the weakest link in the team and was never asked to lead bits of work.” 

The cost to disabled women is high, with nearly three quarters (73%) saying they had experienced physical or mental harm at work, with racially minoritised women being more likely to report this. 44% had experienced bullying, harassment or victimisation, and 83% of those who had said this worsened their condition or impairment and/or resulted in new or worsened health problems. The findings suggest failings in employer responses to bullying, discrimination and harassment; 57% reported it to their employer, but more than 80% were dissatisfied with how it was handled.

Violence against women (VAW) affects all aspects of women’s lives, including the workplace. Most (59%) of respondents had experienced some form of VAW, with this increasing to 78% for neurodivergent women, and 74% for women who have a mental health condition.

When asked about the impact this had had on them, one survey respondent said: “I have had to change jobs, been off sick a number of times, and felt extremely low mood wise.”

Those who had experienced VAW were more also likely to have had their performance questioned at work.  

Labour market data shows that the familiar causes of women’s inequality are magnified for disabled women.  

• Disabled women face higher pay gaps: they earn on average 23% less per hour than non-disabled men. This means that for every £1 earned by a non-disabled man, a disabled woman earns just 77p. 
• Occupational segregation is amplified for disabled women, with more than 40% of their employment being concentrated in health and social care, and education – essential sectors that are undervalued and underpaid.  
• Only 7.3% of disabled women work in management or leadership positions, compared with 10.1% of disabled men showing they face a double glass ceiling. 

The research exposes a stark picture of disabled women’s experiences of the labour market in Scotland. It shows how disability and gender, and other oppressions such as racism, overlap and compound to create intersecting inequalities which constrain their ability to get a job, and progress in their career. This also puts them at increased risk of poverty, and negatively affects their wellbeing.  

Action is needed now 

This exclusion is not inevitable; it is the result of policy and practice that fails to account of disabled women’s lives. The solutions exist, what’s needed is action. 

Working with disabled people’s organisations, trade unions and disabled women, Close the Gap has developed 38 recommendations for key stakeholders to disabled women’s employment: Scottish Government, UK Government, employers and trade unions. Small steps from employers can make a big difference. Simple changes like ensuring reasonable adjustments are in place, sending interview questions in advance, training line managers properly, and having a “default yes” approach to flexible working can transform disabled women’s working lives.? 

Government must also act by moving beyond siloed approaches to disability and gender equality, and instead recognise disabled women’s distinct experiences. Government holds levers that can transform disabled women’s labour market equality - from strengthening enforcement of reasonable adjustments to requiring disability pay gap action plans, and tackling disabled women’s in-work poverty.? 

The report provides a clear roadmap, now government and employers must deliver. 

Read the full report, summary report and Easy Read report.