Why AREN’T men more afraid?

[Lessthanaballpark]

In all the discussion around Sarah Everard and women’s safety, it keeps coming up that men are statistically more likely to be victims of violence ( the perps being men obvs)

Yet, why then aren’t men more afraid? I can’t remember seeing much in the news about male on male violence.

Is that because it’s easier to feel sympathy for women?

And why aren’t men afraid?

Is it because they think they have a fighting chance against any perps?

Is it because they are not targeted for being men?

Is it because the violence towards women is more sexual?

I’d genuinely like to know what everyone thinks, because it seems to me that they should be more scared than they are.

Men might be more likely of being attacked violently but women deal with random comments, groping, pressing against, even following which although not appearing in stats makes women more nervous as you never know when some 'banter' from a strange male might escalate.

So there's something else going on about why we are given the messages we are.

Yes, someone mentioned the media’s portrayal of women as victims, and I can’t exactly prove it but I feel like there is a fetishisation of female fear. That “minicab” poster sums it up nicely because it looks like a scene from a horror film.

Those images are common and remind us of our vulnerability whereas men are encouraged to think of themselves as invincible and are not constantly confronted with messages of their frailty.

@NiceGerbil

'It's sad that the group least likely to be assaulted or harrased - older women - are the group that's most fearful of it.'

I don't think this is true at all tbh.

I think young women take more 'risks' because they want to go out, they can't afford cabs, they want to have a laugh, get off with people etc.

The risk reward is different.

The other thing is that young women know that if anyone does anything while taking those 'risks' it will be seen as what did they expect.

This is why I always question the narrative that young men are bigger risk takers. Yes they take more of the sort of risks that are recognised as risks and yes young men dying in car incidents is high.

However the risks young women take are different. In terms of doing something you know to be risky. For a young woman it might be going home with a man she's just met. She knows she's not supposed to its not 'safe'. She's heard all the horror stories. She goes anyway.

So yeah not sure about that narrative I think women's experiences and how they think and feel are not really on the radar.

Not just because if anyone says it's risky to go home with someone the responses will be both. That's really dangerous. And. You can't tar all men with the same brush what a way to live your life being fearful of men...

Driving a car fast is s lot less complicated than that I think (not to downplay the risk and consequences).

It's true that older women are more fearful of crime, at least according the ONS.

I agree that part of that is that they are less likely to be in risky situations through choice

It's very hard to tell, all other things being equal, whether an older women would be more or less likely to be attacked or assaulted because of "invisibilty". My assumption was yes, but I could be wrong.

There is also the major issue with crime statistics that most of the harrasment abuse, assault and even rape cases are simply not reported or convicted. It's quite despicable. So, we know when men are involved in car crashes and violent incidents, but we don't record nearly as well the effect on women of a similar age.