Do any of you feel safer as an older woman than when you were young?

No, not really. I decided not to be scared of stuff when I was probably about 20. Which is to say, regular stuff like walking around downtown at night. If someone were to accost me, which has happened on occasion, that is certainly disconcerting and scary.

I suppose it's more reflexive now, I don't really even think of it much. But that's due to long practice rather than me growing older in a direct way.

I didn't feel unsafe when I was younger and I don't now. I mean I wouldn't go to the park where the drug addicts hang out at 1 am or something but I have always got on with my life. I've also not really had problems with harassment or unwanted attention other than one incident at school which was in true 80s style just laughed off as boys being boys. Maybe not being good looking does have something going for it after all.

Me too. I sometimes enjoyed the attention when I was in my 20s and it made me feel almost powerful if that makes sense. By my 30s I found it disrespectful because I was settled with Dh and not interested.
Now I’m 49 and get none of it, I walked round town with my attractive younger colleague recently and noticed how she was getting leared at and I found it quite oppressive and depressing really to see how men just value women for their aesthetics.
That said, I was in town with my elderly auntie today and she was very happily ogling all the topless young men so at least it can be reciprocal 🤣

Yep 👆

To get honest I felt safer when I was younger and probably more of a target, mostly as I just feel much more aware of risk now. I was pretty drunk gung ho / blasé as a younger woman and took risks that I would never take nowadays.

I was quite happy with unsolicited male attention to be honest and equally (perhaps misguidedly) felt well able to handle scrapes.

I don’t feel scared exactly now (and I’m late 30s so hardly ancient), however I suppose I am probably more realistic in that my confidence came from blind luck at not having any bad experiences more than anything else.

I do feel more confident in handling everyday situations though and am less of a second-guessing people pleaser, which is great. It is liberating also to not feel arsed about validation from men anymore and realising that caring soo much is all just a phase during the years when everyone’s biologically programmed to mate 😂

I’m in my 40s and I feel far more confident in telling men and their unwanted attention/harassment to fuck off than I did in my 20s or 30s. I have SO fewer fucks to give these days.

With age also comes a bit of seniority and I was recently able to use that to stand up on behalf of a younger woman who felt she hadn’t been able to speak up.

So yeah, being older definitely has its advantages!

I was oblivious as a teen /younger woman. So I probably felt safer then tbh than I do now at 42

Not sure. When I was in my 20s I wasn't scared... I perceived male aggression as welcome attention. And well into my thirties. I still get attention in my 40s but see it for whati it is.

No, I can't say I feel any more safer than when I was younger. However, I do feel more confident and assertive. I'm more likely to tell them to fuck off if they say "smile, it might never happen". That phrase is what I've been harassed with most of my life, since I was about thirteen.

Yes, it is great to not be the subject of unwanted male attention at this age. I suspect that if and when I get to 70 (fingers crossd and god willing), I will get fearful because I am more frail and cannot run away or fight back.

Yes I agree OP. I’m 56 and don’t give a shite and don’t have the same fear.