Disability, Gender and Segregation in the Britain–Australia Convict System

Abstract

This article assesses the gendered experiences of disability and segregation among prisoners in colonial (1830s) New South Wales. I use the distinction between impairment and disability from the ‘social model of disability’ to show that the disabling capacities of impairments varied depending on wider social structures and beliefs, and on each individual's intersectional identity. I draw critically upon the wealth of administrative paperwork generated by the transportation system to illuminate the role of gender in constructing ideas and experiences of prisoner disability in this historical context. The highly imbalanced sex ratio established through penal transportation carried long-lasting effects for ageing emancipists and free residents, and effectively increased the disabling effects of many impairments more substantially for men than women, who stood a greater chance of marrying. Experiments in segregation systems like the Port Macquarie invalid settlement (for men) and Female Factories (for women) had significant long-term impacts on prisoners. However, through quantitative analysis I show that most prisoners entered the broader convict workforce, demonstrating the large extent to which the convict system was able to accommodate individuals with a wide range of physical, mental and sensory impairments.