OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open-access peer-reviewed journal
https://doi.org/10.64211/oidaijsd190815
A comparative analysis of women’s awareness of legal protection from microaggression in the Gauteng province
Nomsa Ingrid Zikalala
Department of Police Practice, University of South Africa, Preller Street, Muckleneuck Ridge,
City of Tshwane, Pretoria, South Africa.
Corresponding authour: zikalni@unisa.ac.za
Volume 19, Issue 08, Pg. 219-228, 2026.
Abstracts: Microaggression can manifest as microassaults, microinsults and microinvalidations directed at vulnerable groups or individual to prejudice and cause hurt. Microaggressions can be experienced as offensive behaviour such as abusive language in different social settings. The South African Constitution Act 108 of 1996 prohibits discrimination to protect women’s right to dignity and restore positive gender relations in affected communities. SDG 16 advocates for effective and accountable institutions. The under reporting of gender crime can negatively impact on the accountability of the police. The objective of the study was to establish women’s perception of the law as protection against microaggression. The methodology of the study involved a quantitative comparison of two groups of forty women from adjacent districts, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. The study used a probability sampling technique for simple random sampling of eighty female participants. A structured questionnaire was issued to participants during thirty-minute interviews. Participation criteria included gender, race, age, residency, and formal consent. T-test was conducted on SPSS to compare the perceptions of two groups. The results showed no difference in the mean scores of the two groups, which implied that, both groups perceived that the South African constitution does not protect women against microaggression. The common trend identified in the comparative data was ignorance of the law. The study provides insight on South Africa women’s lack of awareness of their legal protection from microaggression. Results are not generalizable due to the sample size. Government sponsored awareness training initiatives was recommended to educate women on legal protection from microaggression.
Keywords: Equality, gender, ignorance, illiteracy, microaggression, protection.
Full-text paper download here