Umb-Carlsson O, Sonnander K
Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
J Intellect Disabil Res. 2006 May;50(Pt 5):326-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2005.00779.x.
The role of gender has been a neglected issue in research on intellectual disability (ID). People with ID are generally treated as a homogenous group that are largely categorized by their level of ID. This study compared living conditions of women and men with ID and related the results to similarities and differences among the general population in corresponding age groups.
Persons with ID born in Uppsala County between 1959 and 1974 constituted the study sample. Information on the living conditions of 110 persons with ID was collected using questionnaires completed by relatives and staff. Information on living conditions of the general population was obtained through national welfare statistics conducted by Statistics Sweden (SCB).
In both samples corresponding diversities were revealed for type of employment/daily activities, where women worked in traditional female job sectors and men were occupied with traditional male jobs. Women and men with ID participated to about the same extent in recreational and cultural activities and on only four of the 19 activities listed in the questionnaire (visits to the cinema and library, reading books and practising hobbies alone) significant differences were observed. Among women and men in the general population, we found gender-related differences in 13 of the activities listed. However, with the exception of women more frequently visiting the library and reading books, the two samples demonstrated no corresponding gender-related differences. For the remaining six domains (finances, family and social relations, housing, transport, community participation and personal safety), no differences were noted between women and men with ID. This finding contrasted sharply with the differences found between women and men in the general population.
Surprisingly, the comparison yielded few differences in living conditions between women and men with ID compared with those found in women and men of the general population. This finding suggests that people with ID were treated as gender-neutral persons rather than as women and men with individual preferences and needs. Thus, it appears that having ID is a more important determinant than gender regarding living conditions for women and men with ID.
在智力残疾（ID）研究中，性别角色一直是一个被忽视的问题。患有ID的人通常被视为一个同质化群体，主要根据其ID水平进行分类。本研究比较了患有ID的女性和男性的生活状况，并将结果与相应年龄组普通人群的异同进行了关联。
1959年至1974年出生在乌普萨拉县的ID患者构成了研究样本。通过亲属和工作人员填写的问卷收集了110名ID患者的生活状况信息。普通人群的生活状况信息通过瑞典统计局（SCB）进行的国家福利统计获得。
在就业/日常活动类型方面，两个样本都显示出相应的差异，女性从事传统女性工作领域，男性从事传统男性工作。患有ID的女性和男性在娱乐和文化活动中的参与程度大致相同，在问卷列出的19项活动中，仅在4项活动（看电影、去图书馆、读书和独自从事爱好活动）中观察到显著差异。在普通人群的女性和男性中，我们在列出的13项活动中发现了与性别相关的差异。然而，除了女性更频繁地去图书馆和读书外，两个样本没有显示出相应的与性别相关的差异。在其余六个领域（财务、家庭和社会关系、住房、交通、社区参与和个人安全），患有ID的女性和男性之间没有差异。这一发现与普通人群中女性和男性之间的差异形成了鲜明对比。
令人惊讶的是，与普通人群中的女性和男性相比，患有ID的女性和男性在生活状况方面的差异很少。这一发现表明，患有ID的人被视为无性别差异的人，而不是具有个人偏好和需求的女性和男性。因此，就患有ID的女性和男性的生活状况而言，患有ID似乎比性别更重要的决定因素。
