Gender and Disability: The Experiences of Microaggressions Against Women with Disabilities in the Philippines

Abstract

This article presents how women with disabilities experience microaggression from a gender lens. Through analyzing a qualitative dataset from 14 women with disabilities, this article showed the distinct microaggression types against women with disabilities. The findings from the study supported seven (7) of Keller and Galgay (Microaggressions and marginality: manifestations, dynamics and impact, Wiley, Hoboken, 2010) Ten (10) Domains of Microaggression. This research also revealed other aspects of microaggression that are important in extending the existing knowledge of gender and disability studies. First, perpetrators of microaggression against women with disabilities are primarily in closed communities such as their families and friends. Second, gender microaggression may present a continuum towards sexual harassment, but this needs further investigation. This article explains the following recommendations: (i) targeted public campaigns to reduce specific types of microaggression; (ii) changes in public transportation systems; (iii) more studies on women with disabilities; (iv) integration of practical and strategic gender interest in disability inclusion in the Philippines.