Transcript VULNERABLE WOMEN AND PROTECTIVE MEN The geography …

VULNERABLE WOMEN
AND PROTECTIVE MEN
The geography of fear in the
Swedish town of Umeå
Linda Sandberg, PhD student,
Department of Social and Economic geography
Umeå University, Sweden
E-mail: [email protected]
THEORETICAL POINT OF
DEPARTURE
The geography of fear
How fear affects peoples use of public
space in an urban context
• Focus has been on women's fear of violence in public space
– More women than men are afraid
– Women restrict their mobility as a consequence of
fear
UMEÅ
A middle-sized
town in the
north of
Sweden with
110 000
inhabitants
A city with a self image of being low-crime,
’calm’ city
Umeå 1999-2006;
A very specific threat;
”The Haga man”, a serial rapist
• 7 assaults between 1999-2001
• 1 assault in 2005
THE STUDY
In-depth interviews with women and men living in Umeå
• 2001;
8 women
• 2005;
10 women and 10 men
• 2006;
10 follow-up interviews from 2005
20 new interviews (10 women and 10 men)
LEARNING TO
BE AFRAID
A process that changed:
• Umeå's self-image as a safe city
• People’s behaviour and use of
space
”THE HAGA MAN” AS
A TURNING POINT
Prior “The Haga man”; A safe city for all
• Few women saw themselves as potential victims
• Most women felt relatively safe in public space
• Few men reflected on women's safety
After “The Haga man”; Learning to be afraid
• Women became perceived as vulnerable
• Women restricted their use of public space
• Men became aware of that they were perceived as a threat
• Men became protective;
» Over women they knew
» In their use of space
It should not have to be like this…
The Female ambivalence;
afraid and restricted vs. bold and equal
The Male anger;
• At the perpetrator
• That they were perceived as potential perpetrators
CONCLUSIONS
As a response to a specific threat:
A vulnerability awareness was developed in Umeå
Among both women and men:
• Women became perceived as vulnerable and hence aware of their
own vulnerability
• Men became aware of women's vulnerability, and hence
protective over women they knew and in their use of space