Unemployment as Lived Exclusion: A Phenomenological Study of Persons with Disabilities in Rural Mankayan

Abstract

Unemployment among persons with disabilities (PWDs) remains a persistent concern shaped by structural barriers, social attitudes, and everyday realities within marginalized communities. In the Cordillera region of the Philippines, where rural livelihoods and community relations influence access to opportunities, unemployment is experienced beyond economic deprivation. This study explores the lived experiences of unemployed persons with disabilities in a rural Cordillera community, focusing on how unemployment is understood, endured, and negotiated in daily life.
Using a qualitative phenomenological approach informed by Colaizzi’s method, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten purposively selected participants. The analysis examined participants’ processes of meaning-making, their everyday experiences, and the ways they cope within conditions of constraint.