Fear for All Women: European women’s fear of harassment and aggression in public spaces

Abstract

This work is based on the inequality that women suffer in public spaces, with fear being a constant in their lives. Women must learn to live to accept a limited and constrained existence. Based on this approach, this research establishes a European description and comparison of the insecurities, fears, or concerns expressed by women facing the risk of aggression/harassment, and the prevalence of sexual harassment in public spaces. For this, we used the Survey on Violence Against Women in the European Union (EU; 2012). In the fieldwork, we performed a factorial analysis, as well as a logistic regression analysis between the sociodemographic variables (age, educational level, income, and habitat) and prevalence of physical or virtual sexual harassment. In general, while European women report that they have suffered harassment to a considerable extent, there are even greater concerns or fear of abuse or aggression in public spaces. A fundamental fact is that there is a significant correlation between the prevalence of harassment and per capita income, such that those countries with the highest economic development show a higher incidence of harassment towards women. Similarly, European countries with higher standards of equality show a greater incidence and prevention against the risk of harassment or aggression, particularly among young women. Some results suggest that more than half of Europeans avoid certain spaces or places for fear of being attacked. The main European powers, which have higher standards of equality, report the most harmful instances of behavior against women in public spaces in relation to harassment or fear. The results obtained prompt the conclusion that socialization towards European women is both victimizing and discriminatory.

Analysis of the Weak Position of Women in European Countries from the Perspective of Park Design and How Could Park Management Improve the Situation - in a Case Study of Whiteley Woods in Sheffield

“…The study also found that more harassment of women is reported in the most equal countries [3]. It may be explained as the more equal social environment encouraging more women to speak out about their suffering, but they also reported that they are more afraid of being attacked [3]. This paper aims to explain the reasons women are in a weak position objectively and subjectively in Europe, discuss the features which threaten women's perceived safety in the park and finally explore how landscape architects could contribute to improving the perceived safety of female visitors.…”

“…It seems like researchers assume that Europe is a more equal and safer place for women. However, more than half of Europeans would not be able to enjoy certain spaces because of fear of crime [3]. The study also found that more harassment of women is reported in the most equal countries [3].…”

“…However, more than half of Europeans would not be able to enjoy certain spaces because of fear of crime [3]. The study also found that more harassment of women is reported in the most equal countries [3]. It may be explained as the more equal social environment encouraging more women to speak out about their suffering, but they also reported that they are more afraid of being attacked [3].…”

El acoso callejero: un análisis jurídico comparado

“…Una de las principales razones de la falta de prioridad que el gobierno concede al acoso sexual callejero es su efecto desproporcionado sobre las mujeres. Como se analiza brevemente a continuación, el feminismo dominante explica mejor las experiencias vividas por las mujeres que han sido víctimas de acoso sexual callejero (Moreno et al, 2022). Los estudios jurídicos críticos (CLS) también ayudan a explicar por qué a las mujeres se les niega el acceso pleno e igualitario a las protecciones legales y por qué la ley sistemáticamente desatiende a las comunidades menos poderosas.…”

Digital Violence and Women: Systematization of Researchs and Suggestions for Future Research

“…Digital Violence and Women: Systematization of Researchs and Suggestions For Future Research Although the literature has given great importance to various cyber crimes such as hacking, identity theft and online fraud in the previously studied subjects, issues such as partner violence, domestic violence and digital harassment have recently started to take place (Al-Alosi, 2017). Since it has been proven that women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence in public spaces (Moreno, Prados and Cuenca-Piqueras, 2022), it is thought that the tendency to experience digital violence will also be high. For example, according to the Digital Violence in Turkey Research conducted by the Turkish Social Information and Communication Association (2021); women stated that they were more exposed to digital violence because of their gender (52%) and physical appearance (21%), and men because of their political views (30%).…”