I think that this study commissioned by Stop Street Harassment has some important findings about street harassment.
You can access it here:
http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2014-National-SSH-Street-Harassment-Report.pdf
They define street harassment as, "unwanted interactions in public spaces between strangers that are motivated by a person's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, or gender expression and make the harassee feel annoyed, angry, humiliated, or scared." They surveyed 2,000 people aged 18 or older in different regions of the United States in March 2014.
- 65% of women said they experienced at least one type of street harassment in their lifetime, ranging from verbal harassment (57%), physically aggressive harassment (41%), sexual touching (21%), following (20%), flashing (14%), and being forced to do something sexual(9%).
-25% of men reported experiencing street harassment, but queer men experienced more harassment than heterosexual men.
Both men and women harassees report that their harassers are usually men. Street harassment is not a new phenomenon, as it was discussed in newspapers and journals from at least the 1800's. The report describes street harassment as a "symptom of inequality". It is important to study and stop street harassment because it leads to unsafe public spaces and restricts where people can go, with whom, and how they dress. A 2008 study featured in the Journal of Social Justice Research found that street harassment was related to women objectifying themselves, which leads to increased rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and lower academic achievement. Street harassment reinforces heteronormativity, male dominance in society, and the idea that women's worth is their sexuality and ability to please men.
I think this report is important because it shows how pervasive street harassment is and how much of a real problem it is. Most women who were surveyed in this report assume that being harassed is normal, and that it can be interpreted as flirting or compliments. This is unfortunate and dangerous because it leads people to accept gender inequality and being intimidated in public. I believe this is an issue that needs to be talked about, especially because street harassment and objectification is often depicted in media as flirty and harmless.
You can access it here:
http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2014-National-SSH-Street-Harassment-Report.pdf
They define street harassment as, "unwanted interactions in public spaces between strangers that are motivated by a person's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, or gender expression and make the harassee feel annoyed, angry, humiliated, or scared." They surveyed 2,000 people aged 18 or older in different regions of the United States in March 2014.
- 65% of women said they experienced at least one type of street harassment in their lifetime, ranging from verbal harassment (57%), physically aggressive harassment (41%), sexual touching (21%), following (20%), flashing (14%), and being forced to do something sexual(9%).
-25% of men reported experiencing street harassment, but queer men experienced more harassment than heterosexual men.
Both men and women harassees report that their harassers are usually men. Street harassment is not a new phenomenon, as it was discussed in newspapers and journals from at least the 1800's. The report describes street harassment as a "symptom of inequality". It is important to study and stop street harassment because it leads to unsafe public spaces and restricts where people can go, with whom, and how they dress. A 2008 study featured in the Journal of Social Justice Research found that street harassment was related to women objectifying themselves, which leads to increased rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and lower academic achievement. Street harassment reinforces heteronormativity, male dominance in society, and the idea that women's worth is their sexuality and ability to please men.
I think this report is important because it shows how pervasive street harassment is and how much of a real problem it is. Most women who were surveyed in this report assume that being harassed is normal, and that it can be interpreted as flirting or compliments. This is unfortunate and dangerous because it leads people to accept gender inequality and being intimidated in public. I believe this is an issue that needs to be talked about, especially because street harassment and objectification is often depicted in media as flirty and harmless.