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Submission information
Submission Number: 137
Submission ID: 968
Submission UUID: a2935a32-0b8f-487f-ad5b-95beb1f5e864
Submission URI: /2025/abstracts
Created: Sun, 05/11/2025 - 06:49
Completed: Sun, 05/11/2025 - 08:03
Changed: Fri, 05/16/2025 - 11:13
Remote IP address: 197.184.171.70
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Current page: Complete
Webform: Abstract
| Title | Ms. |
|---|---|
| Lastname | Goitsilwe |
| Firstname | Dakalo |
| dakalo.thathana@gmail.com | |
| Mobile | 0791352347 |
| Institution | North-west university south africa |
| Biosketch | Dakalo Goitsilwe is an academic and military professional currently employed as a lieutenant in the South African Army. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Laws with Law and Development at North-West University. She obtained her BA Social Work at the University of South Africa in 2019 and completed her master’s degree in social work at North-west university in 2024. Her research interests focus on gender equality and justice. Her current PhD study adopts an interdisciplinary social-legal approach aiming to propose a policy implementation framework to address gender-related challenges identified in her master’s study as faced by women serving in combat. |
| Is there a Second Presenter? | Yes |
| Title | Dr. |
| Lastname | Pretorius |
| Firstname | Luce |
| Luce.Pretorius@nwu.ac.za | |
| Mobile | 0620224172 |
| Institution | North-West University, South Africa |
| Biosketch | Dr Lucé Pretorius is a senior lecturer in Social Work at North-West University (South Africa), where she leads research on client violence, practitioner wellbeing, and professional safety. Her work integrates policy, practice, and pedagogy with a focus on social justice and trauma-informed care. As founder of the Wellness Wardens initiative, she advocates for systemic change to protect social service professionals. Lucé supervises postgraduate students, contributes to curriculum development, and actively engages in national dialogues on social work education and reform. Her research is driven by a commitment to advancing ethical, resilient, and socially responsive practice. |
| Is there a Third Presenter? | No |
| Title of Presentatation | Women who serve in combat roles: Exploring gender-related challenges among women in the South African Army |
| Theme Selection | THEME 2: Social Work and the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) |
| Subtheme TWO Selection | SUB 2.3 Work with special and vulnerable populations (children, families, women, older persons, LGBTQIA+ etc). |
| Select your Presentation Type | Oral Presentation |
| Abstract | Women serving in combat roles within the South African Army face gender-specific challenges, often stemming from the masculine nature of the military, which demands a high level of physical strength. While occupational social work services are available to all military personnel to help them cope with any work-related challenges, none of the existing programmes are tailored to assist women in the military with their unique gender-related issues. This study aimed to explore the experiences of women serving in combat roles in the South African Army to gain insight into the gender-specific challenges they face while performing combat duties. A qualitative research design was employed, incorporating a rapid review and focus-group discussions with women from three military combat units in the North-West province of South Africa. Ethical clearance for the study was obtained from North-West University’s Health Research Ethics Committee (reference: N W U - 0 0 1 7 0 - 2 3 - A 1). Thematic analysis was used to analyse data from both the rapid review and the focus-group discussions. The study identified gender-related challenges encountered by women in military combat as: Lack of resources and support; Operational challenges; Sexual harassment; Challenges during pregnancy and childcare; Physical strength limitations; Work-life balance; Societal gender stereotypes and bias; Traditional gender roles; and Mental health. These findings highlight the need for tailored social work intervention to promote gender equality and wellbeing of women within the military combat, thereby contributing to Social Work and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals(SDG-5), and Subtheme: Work with special and vulnerable populations (women). As an oral presentation, the practical implications of occupational social work research within the South African Army, findings, and recommendations for future research. Thereby, encouraging protection and support for the vulnerable population (women in military combat). |
| Title | Dr |
| Firstname | Thabisa |
| Lastname | Matsea |
| Does the Abstract fit the selected Theme? | Yes |
| What Area does this Abstract Focus on? | Practice |
| Status | Accepted |
| Title | |
| Firstname | |
| Lastname | |
| Does the Abstract fit the selected Theme? | |
| What Area does this Abstract Focus on? | |
| Status | Pending Review |