‘Fear of walking home alone’: Urban spaces of fear in youth nightlife

Abstract

This article provides an analysis of the perception of fear in nightlife spaces, its relationship with sexual violence and the strategies that young people implement to combat these situations in two provinces of Andalusia (Seville and Granada), Spain. To this end, qualitative research was carried out through in-depth interviews and discussion groups with 73 boys and girls between the ages of 16 and 22. The article asserts that there are gender differences in the spaces of fear. Girls are the ones who experience fear the most when they walk alone, and at specific times – a feeling that is made worse in specific public spaces. The study results show that girls’ fear is associated with sexual assault and boys’ fear with robberies or fights. Results show that three main types of strategies are used in the face of these fears: avoidance, confronting risks and empowerment. All these strategies include the use of new communication technologies. This article seeks to provide a theoretical contribution to enhancing a gender perspective in the field of urban geography.

The impact of fear on young people’s mobility

“…Young riders who report being fearful are the most likely to change and adapt how they move and travel (Foster et al, 2014; García-Carpintero et al, 2020; Wiebe et al, 2014). If fear is a reflection of everyday life experiences, what are those experiences in transit environments?…”

Preventing Sexual Harm in Nightlife Settings: A Scoping Review

“…Graham et al ( 2014 ); Ham et al ( 2019 ); Ham et al ( 2022 ) Awareness-Raising Campaigns Exploring the effectiveness of educational/awareness campaigns which aim to reduce or prevent nightlife-related sexual harm Carline et al ( 2018 ); Gunby et al ( 2017 ); Wood and Shukla ( 2017 ) Implementation of Trained Care Worker Teams Exploring the effectiveness of groups who are trained to provide practical support to patrons at risk of sexual harm within venues Garius et al ( 2020 ) General Discussion Articles that contained a broad discussion of an intervention. Topics included awareness and safety advice campaigns a , bystander strategies b , education c , venue staff/security d , mutual partnerships e , environmental interventions f , policy g. and barriers and facilitators of prevention h Anitha et al ( 2021 ) bd ; Brooks ( 2011 ) ab ; Duncan et al ( 2022 ) g ; Fileborn ( 2016 ) bcg ; Forsyth ( 2009 ) f ; García-Carpintero et al ( 2022 ) bd ; Gómez et al ( 2022 ) b ; Green ( 2022 ) d ; Graham et al ( 2017 ) b ; Gunby et al ( 2020 ) b ; Hill et al ( 2020 ) a ; Hill and Megson ( 2020 ) h ; Kavanaugh and Anderson ( 2009 ) bd ; Leone et al ( 2022 ) b ; Levine ( 2018 ) aeh ; Powers and Leili ( 2016 ) dfh ; Prego-Meliro et al ( 2022 ) a ; Quigg et al ( 2020 ); Wrightson-Hester and Allan ( 2022a ) bh …”

“…Others argued that the policies are justified as they likely reduce women’s vulnerability to sexual assault. The authors suggest that population-wide alcohol policies may leave men’s anti-social behavior unmarked Fileborn ( 2016 ) Australia Qualitative Focus Groups (N = 16 participants, 62.5% female), In-depth Interviews (N = 4, 100% female) and Online Surveys (N = 252, 61.5% female) General Discussion (bystander intervention, education, policy) Unwanted Sexual Attention Participants were asked to provide suggestions on how to prevent nightlife-related sexual harm Suggestions included bystander response, prevention through education (e.g., teach women to be better sexual communicators and be more assertive) and increase venue responsibility (e.g., clear policies for staff to respond to unwanted sexual attention) Forsyth ( 2009 ) Scotland Mixed Methods Fieldwork observations N = 8 nightclub observations General Discussion (environmental intervention) Sexual Competition Observers examined how music could impact and control the nightlife experience, including level of disorder and sexual activity among the crowd Music policy impacted the level of disorder and sexual activity of patrons Music and the DJ were effectively used as a form of “soft policing” to control the crowd García-Carpintero et al ( 2022 ) Spain Qualitative In-depth Interviews N = 24, 58.3% Male, age ( M = 17.7), Focus Groups N = 49 (across 6 groups), 75.5% female, aged 18–22 ( M = 19.5) General Discussion (bystander intervention, security) Sexual Violence One thematic block that the questions were based upon was “experiences of fear in recreational nightlife spaces and strategies put into place to combat these situations” Female participants reported accompanying other females to risky places (e.g., club bathroom) and having their friends intervene when unwanted sexual attention occurred. They also utilized a “male guardian” who could pretend to be their boyfriend to deter harassment from other males.…”

Pautas de consumo y efectos del alcohol en Instagram en tiempos de COVID-19

“…Sabemos que los varones siguen consumiendo y causan más lesiones y muertes relacionadas con el alcohol que las mujeres, pero las diferencias se están reduciendo entre adolescentes y adultos jóvenes, principalmente porque el consumo de alcohol entre los hombres ha disminuido más que el consumo de alcohol entre las mujeres y porque las mujeres llevan dos décadas incorporándose a pautas de consumo de las que eran ajenas (Romo-Avilés et al, 2016;White, 2020). Diferentes estudios sugieren que las mujeres presentan mayor riesgo de sufrir problemas de salud relacionados con el abuso de alcohol (Erol & Karpyak, 2015), así como de sufrir violencia sexual (Álvarez-Bernardo et al, 2022;García-Carpintero et al, 2020;López-Morales et al, 2021;Romo-Avilés et al, 2020;Ruiz-Repullo et al 2020;Tarancón et al, 2021).…”