Street harassment: one in four women have already declined a job opportunity for fear of being attacked

A recent survey carried out by the L'Oréal Paris brand recalls that 75% of women have been victims of sexual harassment in a public space at least once in their life. Alex Linch/Shutterstock

In France and elsewhere in the world, street harassment remains widespread. A recent survey carried out by the L'Oréal Paris brand recalls that 75% of women have been victims of sexual harassment in a public space at least once in their life. A scourge which has numerous consequences on the daily lives of women, including their social and professional lives.

Hissing, insults, inappropriate gestures, oppressive attitudes… Street harassment that women suffer unfortunately remains very widespread. According to a Yougov survey published in March 2022, nearly six in ten respondents (57%) change sidewalks when they see someone in the distance, while one in two women say they have already been verbally attacked in the street. This scourge is all the stronger because it not only has consequences at the key moment when the victims suffer it, but also on their life choices. This is what a recent study by L’Oréal Paris demonstrates, carried out in more than twenty countries spread across five continents and whose figures are highlighted on the occasion of the week of struggle against street harassment (April 14-21).

According to the survey, one in two women say they have closed themselves off from opportunities, for fear of finding themselves in situations conducive to street harassment. For each situation mentioned, the proportion of women aged under 35 is always more significant. All ages combined, one in four women, for example, have already refused a job offer for fear of being attacked and one in six women have already given up on a university course for this same reason. Among respondents aged over 35, declining a job offer or giving up on training concerns one in three and one in four women respectively.

Fear of working away from home or at late hours may explain why these women end up forgoing such opportunities. "Street harassment restricts the way women can manage their agendas, because it limits their activities and therefore their potential. Street harassment deprives some women of their freedom to work to pay for their studies, or conversely to enroll in evening classes, underlines Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, International General Director from L’Oréal Paris. But these restrictions do not only concern activities related to student life or professional life. Nearly one in two women (41%) say they have already refused to participate in social events such as going out to restaurants, bars or clubs.

"Street harassment is never your fault"

In France, as in other countries, street harassment is so widespread that 87% of women who experience it have adopted several common avoidance strategies: 76% hesitate, for example, to go out late at night, 64% try not to go out alone and 60% adapt their clothing. Raising awareness among the general public (and therefore potential witnesses) also seems more than necessary: ​​52% of those questioned think, for example, that women are sometimes responsible for situations of sexual harassment in public spaces, because of their attitudes. , their behavior or their appearance.

Erroneous, but tenacious, beliefs which have the effect of reversing the guilt of the victims. It is precisely this mechanism that the campaign launched by L'Oréal Paris in public transport in several cities in France is tackling. Entitled “street harassment is never your fault”, this awareness-raising operation launched on March 8 undermines the prejudices that reinforce the stigmatization of victims of street harassment.< /p>

"There is an urgent need to act"

In 2020, L'Oréal Paris launched, with the help of the NGO Right to Be and the Women's Foundation, the training & quot;Stand Up", which aims to help everyone intervene "in complete safety, whether they are victims or witnesses of street harassment". Deployed in more than forty countries around the world, this program is based on the 5D methodology developed by Right to Be: “Distract, Document, Delegate, Dialogue and Direct”. "Men and women are trained, because everyone must be part of the solution", specifies Delphine Viguier-Hovasse. Before adding: "There is no culture that encourages street harassment, the problem is global and the figures are global. Harassment is the same everywhere. There is therefore an urgent need to act.