Women’s experiences of microaggression in South Africa

Sexual harassment is common in public places. Surveys conducted in Mexico City and India found that most women faced sexual harassment in public transport and public facilities. Microaggression stems from the relational, organizational, and individual factors that are interactional in community settings. Socio-demographic groups differ in how they perceive the severity of microaggression. Consequently, women’s perception of the dynamics between mobility and microaggression is important for effective policing of gender-based violence. The purpose of the study was to establish women’s experiences of microaggression in public and to establish their perceptions of intentional microaggression in South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to identify participants, and the sample included eighty women from two municipalities in the Gauteng Province. The participation criteria included willingness to participate, resident of Gauteng, ages 18 to 65, and South African citizen. A thirty-minute interview scheduled with semi-structured questions was used to collect data. The three dominant themes generated from the thematic content analysis conducted on Atlas.ti were assault, insult, and trauma responses. The study was not funded, and participants received no financial incentive. Ethical considerations and measures of trustworthiness were applied to the study. Data was interpreted using the “right to resist aggression theory” which argues that everyone has the right of self-defense against unwarranted aggression. The generalizability of the study is cautioned. The recommendations reimagine the role of community agents such as taxi drivers and traditional leaders to encourage them to report, intervene, and play a protective role to women experiencing intentional microaggression in public places.