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EXPERIENCING OCCUPATIONAL REHABILITATION IN NSW: NON‐ENGLISH SPEAKING BACKGROUND WOMEN'S VIEWS
Author(s) -
Clapham Kathleen
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
australian journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1839-4655
pISSN - 0157-6321
DOI - 10.1002/j.1839-4655.1994.tb00934.x
Subject(s) - disadvantaged , rehabilitation , project commissioning , productivity , work (physics) , workers' compensation , compensation (psychology) , occupational rehabilitation , population , publishing , nursing , psychology , sociology , public relations , medicine , political science , economic growth , physical therapy , engineering , environmental health , social psychology , economics , mechanical engineering , law
Research suggests that work‐related disabilities suffered by women from non‐English speaking backgrounds (NESB) are disproportionate to their representation in the population. This paper presents data from a preliminary investigation into the experiences of work‐injured NESB women in the NSW workers' compensation system since 1987. It argues that NESB women are, and perceive themselves to be, disadvantaged by the present workers' compensation system particularly in regards to occupational rehabilitation. This is largely because the higher rates of chronic work‐related injury make the rehabilitation of NESB women less cost effective for rehabilitation providers. As a result both the quality of life and future productivity of these women are substantially degraded. The article concludes that changes at the organisational level, including improved data collection are required in order to meet the needs of this group of high injury‐risk workers more adequately and more equitably.