Childhood and adult disability: impacts on education and the labour market in South Africa.
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Equal opportunities in education and the labour market are prioritised on the global agenda for people
with disabilities. It is widely acknowledged that people with higher levels of education are more likely
to find employment and to earn more compared to people with lower levels of education. Any negative
impact on educational attainment during school-going years may result in long term labour market
consequences in adulthood. People who are unable to access education, may fall into poverty and
poverty makes people more vulnerable to acquiring disabilities. In addition, people with disabilities are
less likely to participate in the labour market and if they do are more likely to be unemployed thus
perpetuating this disability and poverty cycle.
As a means of monitoring the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an internationally
recognised and comparable survey instrument designed by The Washington Group (WG) was
incorporated into the General Household Survey (GHS) in South Africa from 2009. Very little academic
research has been conducted in South Africa using the WG questions yet the White Paper on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities prioritises monitoring and evaluation through rigorous research.
This thesis demonstrates the ways in which household survey questions on disability have evolved over
time due to the conceptual changes from the medical model of disability to the social model and how
these questions can be used to measure disability prevalence. Using the GHS and the WG set of
questions, the thesis estimates how childhood disability is associated with school attendance and
progression. The findings strongly suggest that children with disabilities, particularly those with more
severe disabilities, are more likely to be out of school and when they are in school they are at least two
years behind their peers without disabilities. For adults with disabilities the probability of labour market
participation and employment is lower. In addition, there is a notable gap in earnings between people
with and without disabilities. Severe disabilities (involving physical and cognitive impairments) have
worse outcomes overall. Importantly, the results suggest that if people with disabilities are able to attain
equivalent levels of education to their peers without disabilities, their labour market outcomes improve
significantly. This study therefore demonstrates the vital importance of education and the need for
education to be the primary focus of policy efforts for people with disabilities.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.