Throughout history, women have lived in constant fear feeling that they need to protect themselves at any given moment. Taking extra steps to ensure their safety because of the horrific reality women live and face every day just for being a woman in America.
According to YouGov, “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.” These statistics show women are living in fear every day thinking they are going to get assaulted because enough men have caused women to feel constantly unsafe by their actions.
Making women turned to keep self-defense weapons on them and in their car at all times. Holding keys in-between their fingers when feeling unsafe, carrying pepper spray or mace, personal alarms, and even tasers. Not walking home alone at night, not parking far away from the store, guarding their drinks at the bar, cross the street to avoid walking through a group of guys, or even checking the back seat of the car before entering it or under the car.
Following rules passed down by women by multiple generations accepting this as another one of society’s “norms” that we have to learn to accept. Where women just have to accept this and live this life when as a society we need to teach men not to look women as an object; something they can possess or own. That men, at a young age, need to learn to respect and treat them as their equals. In, order for women to walk anywhere at any time, and wear anything they want without feeling like they will be targeted because of it.
