Why are more women concerned about personal safety than men? Is it because they are truly in danger, or are there other reasons why women are on high alert? This post is being republished in honor of International Women’s Day.
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The world is a dangerous place to be a woman. Yes, Western society has far more advances and advantages for women than other areas of the world, but gender safety is a major concern. More women live in fear of violence and harassment, while men tend to spend significantly less time preoccupied with concerns for their safety. Why are women far more preoccupied with personal safety than men, even in situations when they aren’t at a higher risk for attack? A look into assault statistics and women’s fear offers insight into how women are forced to operate in a world where men still have the upper hand.
Gender Safety: Are Women More At Risk?
Women tend to spend more time concerned with personal safety than men, as chronicled by Sage Journals. Many men can walk home at night without a second thought, while far more women live in a world where they are trained to use the buddy system, carry pepper spray, be on high alert at every noise, and always text a friend when they get home safely. Many factors go into creating this state of fear for women that men often have the luxury of avoiding.
Numerous studies have documented that women are on average far more preoccupied regarding personal safety and vulnerability to threats and crimes, as opposed to men. Women spend more time obsessing and worrying about becoming victims or being re-victimized when it comes to virtually all types of attacks, threats, and aggressions. This can lead to them turning to defensive behavior to protect themselves or avoidant behavior to escape perceived threats
What Factors Put People On High Alert?
There are factors beyond gender that influence one’s perception of risk and perceived threat. Sage Journals analyzed the factors of victimization history, the perceived risk of being re-victimized, and the personal feeling of control when it comes to safety concerns in a recent study. One point the study discovered is that recent victimization played a large role in how women in particular responded to perceived threats, even more so than a history of victimization.
It’s easy to see how people who have recently been a victim of a traumatic situation would feel more preoccupied with worry when it comes to fearing a repeat attack. In contrast, psychological explanations such as the normalcy bias could cause people to believe that just because nothing bad has ever happened to them, it is likely that nothing bad ever will happen. In some cases, worrying about being re-victimized could even help prevent an attack from occurring again, though this might come at a steep cost in terms of mental well-being.
Are Women Really At Higher Risk?
Women feel more likely to be a victim of an attack than men. But are they truly more likely to be assaulted? Supporting Survivors estimates that 91% of victims of rape and sexual assaults are female, while an estimated 9% are male. However, the statistics for non-sexual assault don’t appear to be nearly as skewed by gender.
Statista reports that in the United States in 2021, marginally more males were victims of violent crimes than women. In 2021, there were slightly more male victims of violent crime than female victims, with about 1,456,310 male victims and 1,278,390 female victims. While women are more susceptible to sexual crimes by a landslide, it appears that the rate of violent attacks is much more evenly matched. However, some factors cause women to nonetheless worry more about being assaulted than men do.
Why Women Are More Afraid
Two factors that can strongly influence a woman into becoming preoccupied with perceiving a threat appear to be perceived vulnerability and a sense of control. Though women and men appear to have pretty equal odds when it comes to their risk of being physically assaulted, women have a far higher risk of being sexually assaulted. Furthermore, it’s easy to see why women might have a preoccupation with being a potential victim of a crime, as they are biologically the weaker sex.
Perhaps one of the reasons why men don’t worry nearly as much about crimes is that they often feel in control. Though there are exceptions, women are statistically weaker than men. They are often smaller and more physically vulnerable. There are perhaps other ways that women can feel more vulnerable, such as there being more men in positions of power and far more men in law enforcement. Women might feel as though they have no defense when it comes to being assaulted, seeking help during an assault, or being believed in the aftermath. One could say that our very society is historically structured in a way that keeps women vulnerable despite our persistent banging on the glass ceiling.
Gender Safety & Women’s Fear Is A Grim Reality
Naturally, I can’t speak for all women, but I believe some factors go beyond statistics alone to explain why women are more afraid. As the sexual assault numbers show, women are at a staggeringly higher risk of being on the receiving end of this type of violence. While assault of all natures can be traumatic and experienced by any person, it’s a fact that women are at a higher risk of being raped and sexually violated. And rape does more to a person than physical harm. It destroys a part of who they are.
Constant vigilance when it comes to assault is draining and exhausting. However, it at times feels necessary, especially in absence of alternative solutions. Many men may walk down a sketchy street without a second thought, but this is not the same world that women live in. For most women, preoccupation with assault is a necessity. When we worry, we suffer twice. But sometimes these fears and obsessions could be what keeps us from being victimized or re-victimized. However, there has to be another solution for having women feel safe in the same sense that men do.
Continued Reading: Women Supporting Women