To Örebro University

Introduction: Several systematic reviews have found the vocational rehabilitation (VR) intervention of Supported Employment (SE) to be more efficient for persons with disabilities to obtain employment than other interventions within VR. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on how the intervention works for men and women.

Aim: To explore the influence of gender on access, processes, and employment outcomes in VR, designed according to the SE method, for men and women with psychiatric, neuropsychiatric, or intellectual disabilities.

Methods: Study I was a scoping review to examine what has been reported regarding the influence of different intersecting statuses on the employment rate after participating in an SE intervention. Study II was a focus group study with employment specialists exploring their social representations of gender in relation to disability, VR, and working life .Study III was a qualitative interview study exploring participants’ experiences of SE interventions. Study IV was a mixed method multiple case study using qualitative comparative analysis to explore enabling and barrier conditions in SE interventions.

Results: In the triangulation of the four studies, two superordinate themes evolved. In the material, gendered paths through the welfare system resulted in women having less access to SE interventions, and when participating in an SE intervention, women with disabilities with high responsibilities for home and family struggled to find enough resources to focus on vocational rehabilitation.

Conclusion: For SE to become more equal and better suited for all persons with disabilities interested in employment, regardless of gender, the accessibility to SE and the SE method needs to be developed to better suit the diversified needs of SE participants.