Person’s Physicality as a Factor of his Socio-Economic Status

Abstract

In this article disabled people physicality as a factor of his socio-economic status was analyzed. Article is based on author’s research concluded in 2022. The object of the study is the socio-economic status of a person with a disability, the subject is the impact of the physicality of a person with a disability on his socio-economic status. The main hypothesis of the study is that people with disabilities have a low socio-economic status due to their abnormal physicality. As a based theory we used concept of "abnormal" M. Foucault. Methods used in our research were analysis of statistics, analysis of secondary data from sociological research and the method of semi-formalized expert interviews and interviews with Moscow youth. The analysis of statistics and secondary data from disability research allowed us to determine the socio-economic situation of people with disabilities, and a series of interviews - how the physicality of a person with a disability affects his socio-economic situation. People with disability in modern Russian society has low socio-economic and social status. One of the main reasons for this is unnormal physicality of people with disability. On the basis of non-normative physicality, a certain perception of people with disabilities is formed. Person with disability is percept incapable for a “normal” life, which affects their social position and their socio-economic status. It was found that, despite the declared positive perception of people with disabilities, the informants do not perceive them as equals, but as those who are below the informants in terms of social status.