Modern Cinderellas: The Specifics of Marriage Strategies for Women with Disabilities

Abstract

The article examines life strategies of disabled women who wish to find a spouse/life partner and build a family. We take the cases of contemporary Russia and Kazakhstan as countries that in many aspects share a common post-Soviet social and cultural background. Israel, which is considered one of the countries favorable for disabled people, is additionally taken as a case for comparison, for in fact there live many impaired ex-Soviets including women with disabilities. Drawing on own field research, we attempt to outline the principal models of marital behavior of such women in the countries under examination, pinpointing their specificities in each case. We argue that despite different social and cultural surroundings as well as varying ethnic and religious traditions, the factor of double stigmatization – both of disability and of gender stigmatization – makes a profound impact on selfidentifications of these women who feel more vulnerable if compared with so-called “normal” women.