Experiencing the Streets: Harassment and Perceptions of Safety among Women

Abstract

Although research consistently shows that women feel unsafe in a variety of situations, the social sources of these perceptions have not been clearly identified. This article examines, theoretically and empirically, the influence of sexual harassment on perceptions of safety among women. Because perceptions of safety among women are largely related to fears of sexual victimization, sexual harassment, particularly when it involves strangers, should indicate sexual vulnerability and typify particular contexts as dangerous and threatening. Using data from a national sample of Canadian women, the authors first examine the prevalence of stranger and nonstranger sexual harassment and then examine their influence on perceptions of safety. The findings indicate that stranger harassment is more prevalent and more extensive than nonstranger harassment and that stranger harassment more strongly influences fear of victimization. The implications of these findings are discussed.