{"title":"Feeling ‘Happy, Loved, Cherished, Desired’ and ‘Hopeful for the Future’: Disabled Women in Nigeria Talk About Sex and Pleasure","authors":"","doi":"10.1007/s11195-023-09830-x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Abstract</h3> <p>When Jumai told her cousin, she wanted to get intimate with a man, her cousin replied that as a blind woman she should not be thinking about things like that, but instead should be on her knees praying. Disabled women in Nigeria often experience this kind of pushback if they express sexual desire. Sexual and reproductive health interventions for disabled people in Nigeria usually exclude desires and pleasures, and only address vulnerabilities to sexual violence or ill-health. Beyond Nigeria, pleasure has also been missing in health and policy discourses regarding disabled people and regarding African women. Now research, activism and advocacy have started to bring pleasure into the discourse in relation to both disabled people and African women. However, for disabled African women, the possibilities for pleasure continue to be side-lined. This article starts to address that gap by presenting qualitative research with five disabled women in Nigeria about their experiences of sexuality and pleasure. A sexuality education program inspired by the findings of this research is presented.</p>","PeriodicalId":51537,"journal":{"name":"Sexuality and Disability","volume":"177 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Sexuality and Disability","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-023-09830-x","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"REHABILITATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
When Jumai told her cousin, she wanted to get intimate with a man, her cousin replied that as a blind woman she should not be thinking about things like that, but instead should be on her knees praying. Disabled women in Nigeria often experience this kind of pushback if they express sexual desire. Sexual and reproductive health interventions for disabled people in Nigeria usually exclude desires and pleasures, and only address vulnerabilities to sexual violence or ill-health. Beyond Nigeria, pleasure has also been missing in health and policy discourses regarding disabled people and regarding African women. Now research, activism and advocacy have started to bring pleasure into the discourse in relation to both disabled people and African women. However, for disabled African women, the possibilities for pleasure continue to be side-lined. This article starts to address that gap by presenting qualitative research with five disabled women in Nigeria about their experiences of sexuality and pleasure. A sexuality education program inspired by the findings of this research is presented.
期刊介绍:
Sexuality and Disability is an international forum for the publication of peer-reviewed original interdisciplinary scholarly papers that address the psychological and medical aspects of sexuality in relation to rehabilitation. Publishing timely research articles, review articles, case studies, clinical practice reports, brief research reports, survey data reports, and book and film reviews, the journal offers the latest developments in the area of sexuality as it relates to a wide range of disabilities and conditions. Contributions address: clinical and research progress; community programs; independent-living programs; guidelines for clinical practice; special grand-rounds topics; consumer issues; and contemporary developments in special programs in sex education and counseling for people with disabilities. The journal features special issues with internationally renowned guest editors focusing on current topics in sexual health. By publishing research, best-practice, evidence-based, and educational articles, the journal seeks to contribute to the field''s knowledge base and advancement. Sexuality and Disability is an essential resource for the exchange of new knowledge, issues, techniques, and available modalities for researchers and other professionals addressing the psychological and medical aspects of sexuality in rehabilitation, medical, academic, and community settings.