Gender differences in employment outcomes of individuals with developmental disabilities

The paper presents employment outcomes of men and women with developmental disabilities (DD) who recently entered individual employment with the support of a community rehabilitation provider (CRP). The findings are based on an analysis of the National Survey of Community Rehabilitation Providers, Individual Employment Outcomes Survey, conducted between 2004 and 2005 by the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Survey results show that while men and women with DD are earning meaningful wages, women with DD are working fewer hours in lower-wage jobs and earn less money, although only the latter was found to be statistically significant. Significant gender differences were found, however, with respect to the types of jobs men and women with DD held in individual employment. Overall, outcome findings suggest consistency with previous research. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings and provides directions for future research.