From: andyw@meaddata.com (Andy Welter)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Women's and men's safety
Date: 5 Jan 1993 23:16:47 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Distribution: world
Reply-To: andyw@meaddata.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: remarque.berkeley.edu
Originator: muffy@remarque.berkeley.edu

In article 15032@monu1.cc.monash.edu.au, pol253b@monu1.cc.monash.edu.au (Ms D Alexander) writes:
>In article <1hsskrINN1pt@meaddata.meaddata.com> andyw@meaddata.COM writes:
>>I think __PART OF THE DIFFERENCE__ in fear about violence between men and
>>women is just a difference in attitude about getting hurt.  This is
>>not a scientific survey, but men just seem to be more accepting of
>>personal risk than women.
>
>This is one hell of an assertion, but it makes more sense when taken in
>context, and here your next paragraph is of assistance...
>
>>When you look at things like skydiving, whitewater rafting, bungee
>>jumping, sports you can get hurt playing, etc, men seem to be more
>>tolerant of a given level of risk than women would be. ___WHEN YOU
>>COUPLE THAT ATTITUDE WITH A SITUATION WHERE THERE REALLY IS A
>>DIFFERENCE IN SAFETY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN___(walking in bad
>>neighborhoods) you end up with a really big diffence in your perceived
>>level of safety.
>
>I'm not sure that making a comparison between the fear of injury from
>sporting activities, and the fear of injury which results from acts of
>violence is legitimate.  The two are conceptually miles apart.  Sporting
>activities are undertaken willingly.  Violence is not very often the
>result of a deliberate action by the victim.
>

The comparison was meant to illustrate that given the same level of danger,
most men are less fearful of a situation than most women are.

>>I think the issue that needs to be addressed is actual measurable
>>differences in safety, not what peoples FEELINGs are.
>
>Certainly, but the statistics on violence against women (in my country,
>anyway) provide some justification (sadly) for women being fearful.
>
Whoa whoa... I'm not saying women don't have a legitimate reason to be
careful about going out at night... see highlighted sentences from my
original post.

But don't alot of studies show that most violence against women is by
someone they already know?  I don't think _all_ the difference in fear of
being out at night is based on real differences in personal safety.

Society as a whole has to work on making the streets safer.  But women
who are mad because men can go out at night and not be afraid have to
realize that some of that difference is simply a difference in attitude.

Some people have posted saying that a woman shouldn't have to take self
defense classes just so they can feel safe, that it isn't fair.  But if
you are more afraid on the streets at night because you don't think you
can defend yourself, it is fair to say "take a self defense class".
The difference in attitudes and feelings is your responsibility.  The 
difference in real measurable safety is societys responsibility.

---
|Andrew Welter	     |  All views are mine and not |      (513) 865-6822   
|Mead Data Central   |    that of my employer      |      pd&o-ps-ts-dsp       
|P.O. Box 933        |                             |     andyw@meaddata.com
|Dayton, Ohio  45401 |          	           | ...!uunet!meaddata!andyw



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