Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
There are countless applications and other prevention campaigns aimed at the safety of women who take up running, and for good reason. Despite advances made on the subject, most of them still fear for their safety when they practice this solitary sporting activity. A new international study even reveals that the majority of women never go for a run without having taken the appropriate precautions beforehand.
Going for a run should only require a sports outfit, a suitable pair of sneakers, possibly a little music, and unfailing motivation. But this does not reflect the daily life of women who engage in this physical activity. Most of them also work to check that all the lights are green, and that they will be protected throughout their journey, before putting a running shoe outside. Essential precautions as more than nine out of ten women around the world (92%) say they are worried about their safety when they go running, as revealed by a new study of 9,000 runners in nine countries, including the China, Japan, France, and the United States.
Physical or verbal harassment
Conducted by Vitreous World for adidas, as part of its ‘With Women We Run’ initiative, and its partnership with the charity White Ribbon, this study tells us specifically that more than one in two women in the world ( 51%) fear being physically attacked when running. By way of comparison, only 28% of men share this fear. A fear that is anything but the result of chance, and even less of their imagination. Nearly four in ten women surveyed (38%) say they have already been victims of physical or verbal harassment, of which more than half mention sexist or sexual comments (55%), say they have been honked (53%), and even followed (50%) during their journey.
To deal with these potential aggressions, women do not consider running without having taken a few precautions beforehand. More than two-thirds of respondents (69%) admit to preparing for their race in a very specific way. This includes wearing loose clothing, to avoid any form of harassment, or even asking someone they trust – and able to protect them – to do the course with them. But this is only the tip of the iceberg, because this constant feeling of insecurity can also lead to mental and physical disorders.
Good in your body, good in your head!
An impact on mental health
Whatever the form of harassment suffered by the fairer sex, it impacts the mental health of the main concerned, and sometimes even their physical health. More than one in two respondents (53%) say they are prone to anxiety disorders, compared to 38% of men, and nearly half of women surveyed (46%) say they have given up running after experiencing some form of harassment. against a third of these gentlemen. The latter also recognize that there is a problem of insecurity for women, up to 62%, but only a fifth of respondents (18%) believe that it is up to them to ensure that women are no longer concerned about their safety while running.
If we look specifically at France, we see that the feeling of insecurity is also present for women. Nearly six in ten female respondents (59%) say they feel worried when they run, compared to 22% of men. Here again, French women were confronted with honking (75%), inappropriate behavior (58%), sexist comments (53%), or even verbal harassment (37%).