Opinion

Male decision makers have no idea how dangerous the UK is for women

A report released by UN Women UK that found that 97 per cent of women aged 18-24 had been sexually harassed, and four in five women of all ages had experienced sexual harassment in public spaces

The tragic case of Sarah Everard has highlighted the daily lived experience for women in the UK

The tragic case of Sarah Everard has highlighted the daily lived experience for women in the UK. Image credit: Metropolitan Police.

Men have no idea what it is like to exist in a world that targets you just for being a woman. This is not news, even though the disappearance of Sarah Everard has made it so. This is the daily lived experience for women in the UK.

I first realised this when I was 23. I’d just moved to a village on the Wirral to study in Liverpool. I didn’t have any friends in the area or know it at all, but my fellow students on the course told me that there was a pretty marsh within easy walking distance of where I lived.

Shortly after moving, my friend Alex came to visit. I suggested we go and check out the famed marsh, given I’d not been able to visit it yet. “Sure!” said Alex, “but if it’s so nice, why haven’t you checked it out already?” 

I stared back at him, blankly. “Because obviously nobody in their right mind would go wandering alone around remote marshland in an area they don’t know”.

Alex looked back at me, equally blankly, and then answered: “Oh my goodness. That isn’t something I would ever consider. I would just…go.”

That was the penny-drop moment where I realised that the overwhelming majority of men – even the good ones – have no idea of the degree to which women have to constrain their freedom to keep themselves safe. Because it’s not just remote marshes. It’s everywhere, and it’s every day. 

Limit your route to well-lit main roads. Keep your keys between your fingers. Call ahead so someone knows to expect you. Text your friend when you get home. Wear shoes you can run in. Walk close to the kerb. Clock any alleyways you could be dragged into. Stay alert: don’t use your headphones or look at your phone. 

And you can do all that, and still not make it home.

The devastating news about Sarah Everard was accompanied by a report released by UN Women UK that found that 97 per cent of women aged 18 to 24 had been sexually harassed, and four in five women of all ages had experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. These phenomena are not unrelated.

The planning and strategising that women do daily to ensure their safety is constant. It’s time-consuming. It’s exhausting. It’s life-limiting. And it’s completely invisible to men.

We live in a country where too many decision-makers – MPs, councillors, board executives – are men who, like my friend Alex, are completely oblivious to how pervasively dangerous the world is to women. 

The result is that they fail to make ending VAWG — violence against women and girls — a priority. The fact the problem has received its own campaigning acronym should tell you how serious the issue has become. The fact it is an issue at all should spur you into action.

We need politicians and the police to take active responsibility to make London safe for women. Women are not responsible for the acts of perpetrators. Gender-based violence must become a top London policing priority, and that means recognising sexual harassment for the serious problem that it is.

That’s one of the reasons that I’m running for election to the Greater London Assembly as a candidate for the Women’s Equality Party on 6th May. If we want change to happen, we need women in the rooms where decisions are being made, loudly and persistently making the case for the change.

We also need men alongside us making the case just as loudly and persistently. It’s been encouraging to see how many men have reached out over recent days to ask “what can I do to make women safe?” 

There have been helpful Twitter threads and articles with some of the basics: don’t walk behind us at night, cross the street, keep your distance, walk your friend home if she asks, etc. While those tips are wonderful, and will be helpful, they won’t solve the problem. It’s not enough to be a nice guy and think sexism is bad. We need more from you than that.

We need you to fight alongside us. Listen to your female friends when they speak out about their experiences, instead of getting defensive. Join and donate to organisations that campaign to end VAWG. Vote for parties that demand it. Demand it from your MP, councillors and police crime commissioners. Hold them accountable.

Because trust me, we already know that it’s #NotAllMen – but the reality is that we need Every Single Man to get on board and sort this out. Without you, we’ll always be stuck in this grim Groundhog Day, and women will always be frightened for their lives.

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
Social care is on its knees. It's no wonder public dissatisfaction is at a record high
social care
Evan John

Social care is on its knees. It's no wonder public dissatisfaction is at a record high

Two-child limit on benefits is cruel and unfair. Politicians must rethink ahead of general election
two child limit/ three kids
Martin O'Neill

Two-child limit on benefits is cruel and unfair. Politicians must rethink ahead of general election

Investment in social housing is an investment in people
John Bird

Investment in social housing is an investment in people

Some people might find my middle-aged life boring – but it's real. There's beauty in the humdrum
Sam Delaney says old people can still enjoy live music
Sam Delaney

Some people might find my middle-aged life boring – but it's real. There's beauty in the humdrum

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know