'Walking home at night is not the same for women' - study

I constantly risk assess. If I take my car at night should I use the deserted car park which no longer has an attendant or park on the street. Should I take the night bus or a cab? I avoid short cuts. I don’t cycle at night or in deserted places. I always have a plan for getting home.

If you haven't already heard it, this is the Reclaim the Night song that Peggy Seeger wrote in 1979 and recorded again here on her mobile phone for the FiLiA conference in 2022. This still hits so hard, made stronger by her singing it a cappella at the age of 87. (Trigger warning).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclaim_the_Night

1977 was the first 'reclaim the Night' march. Post Jack the Ripper, when the police suggested women stay at home.

https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/22754-women-safety-sexual-assault-awareness

'Research shows that 59% of women who ever walk down an alley alone always or often feel unsafe doing so, while 50% feel similarly about walking alone at night. Women are at least twice as likely as men to always feel unsafe going to a stranger’s house alone (23% of women vs. 6% of men), taking a trip to a foreign country alone (24% vs 12%), or getting a taxi or ride-share by themselves (13% vs 4%). Data also suggests roughly one in five (21%) women say that they always or often feel unsafe when going on a first date. Only 9% of men experience similar feelings about being unsafe on a first date.'

https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/new-data-women-feel-unsafe-at-night/

• One in two women felt unsafe walking alone after dark in a quiet street near their home, compared to one in seven men.
• One in two women felt unsafe walking alone after dark in a busy public place, compared to one in five men.
• Four out of five women felt unsafe walking alone after dark in a park or other open space, compared to two out of five men.
• Two out of three women aged 16 to 34 years experienced one form of harassment in the previous 12 months; with 44% of women aged 16 to 34 years having experienced catcalls, whistles, unwanted sexual comments or jokes, and 29% having felt like they were being followed.
• Disabled people felt less safe walking alone in all settings than non-disabled people.

“I draw a line down the middle of a chalkboard, sketching a male symbol on one side and a female symbol on the other. Then I ask just the men: What steps do you guys take, on a daily basis, to prevent yourselves from being sexually assaulted? At first there is a kind of awkward silence as the men try to figure out if they've been asked a trick question. The silence gives way to a smattering of nervous laughter. Occasionally, a young a guy will raise his hand and say, 'I stay out of prison.' This is typically followed by another moment of laughter, before someone finally raises his hand and soberly states, 'Nothing. I don't think about it.'

Then I ask women the same question. What steps do you take on a daily basis to prevent yourselves from being sexually assaulted? Women throughout the audience immediately start raising their hands. As the men sit in stunned silence, the women recount safety precautions they take as part of their daily routine. Here are some of their answers:

Hold my keys as a potential weapon. Look in the back seat of the car before getting in. Carry a cell phone. Don't go jogging at night. Lock all the windows when I sleep, even on hot summer nights. Be careful not to drink too much. Don't put my drink down and come back to it; make sure I see it being poured. Own a big dog. Carry Mace or pepper spray. Have an unlisted phone number. Have a man's voice on my answering machine. Park in well-lit areas. Don't use parking garages. Don't get on elevators with only one man, or with a group of men. Vary my route home from work. Watch what I wear. Don't use highway rest areas. Use a home alarm system. Don't wear headphones when jogging. Avoid forests or wooded areas, even in the daytime. Don't take a first-floor apartment. Go out in groups. Own a firearm. Meet men on first dates in public places. Make sure to have a car or cab fare. Don't make eye contact with men on the street. Make assertive eye contact with men on the street.”

― Jackson Katz, The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help

They don't.TW are not women.

I read similar here, but the more general question of what you do to keep safe. For women it permeates how they dress, travel, plan their day etc. It really shocked me because I hadn't realised men don't do those things.

‘Walk like you have three men walking behind you’ - Oscar de la Renta

Men have no clue.

I always thing of things like this when men identify as women. This kind of ingrained, life long from birth, automatic and unconscious response to our environment is such a part of what makes us women. How do trans women assimilate information like this? Or don't they?

I used to teach and when we studied The Handmaid’s Tale and discussed women in society the boys in the class were always gobsmacked at the things the girls said about feeling unsafe, precautions they took walking home etc
Every woman knows this is true don’t know why we need a study to prove it.

'Women focused significantly more on potential safety hazards—the periphery of the images—while men looked directly at focal points or their intended destination.'

This might be because most men walking around late at night are completely shit-faced and are simply focused on the next recognisable landmark.

Can't remember it if was on MN or not but there was something about a lecture about walking home at night. The men and women were asked what precautions they took whilst walking home. The men's side of the sheet was empty and the women's side was full of the usual stuff we do.

This reminds me of a rule of thumb to distinguish prey animals from predator animals: eyes on the side, run and hide; eyes on the front, time to hunt.

In other new, the Pope is a Catholic. At least this is measurable for men who don’t believe it I suppose.

Is it that clear cut? I thought it was a bit of a leap and assumption?

'Women focused significantly more on potential safety hazards—the periphery of the images—while men looked directly at focal points or their intended destination.'

How have they decided the periphery is always about safety hazards?

Interesting research, anyway.

It’s a useful study because the results are so clear cut and stark, plus easy to grasp just from the images. However, I’m surprised the findings are so much of a surprise to the lead researcher. Well, I’m not these days but still. Some people (men) have no imagination whatsoever.