45 percent of young women between the ages of 15 and 25 sometimes walk or drive around in their own neighborhood to avoid places they consider unsafe. Women of all ages do this more often than men.
Among men between the ages of 15 and 25, 20 percent sometimes take a different route. This is according to statistics bureau CBS based on the Emancipation Monitor and the Security Monitor. These are figures from 2023.
In most age groups of men, the percentage is around 20 percent. For women, it ranges from 45 percent in the youngest age group (15 to 25 years) to 31 percent for those 65 and older. Women, therefore, take a different route more often than men in every age group.
In all age groups, about 40 to 45 percent of women are afraid of becoming victims of crime. The CBS does not specify what form of crime this is. In every age group, women estimate the chance of becoming a victim higher than men. Among men, between 28 and 35 percent are afraid of becoming a victim.
The decision to take a different route also depends on the living environment, according to the CBS. The more urban the living environment, the more people avoid unsafe places in their neighborhood by walking or driving around. 44 percent of women in larger cities sometimes take a different route, compared to 21 percent of women in rural municipalities. For men, the figures are 28 and 11 percent respectively.
Women are also more often afraid to open the door in the evening
Seven out of ten women aged 65 or older do not always open the door in the evening, according to the CBS study. In younger age groups, that percentage is slightly lower: between 55 and 63 percent.
Men are less cautious about this, according to the CBS: 31 to 36 percent do not always open the door. Only among men aged 65 or older is the percentage somewhat higher at 53 percent.
Here too, it differs per living environment. In rural municipalities, the fear of opening the door in the evenings is lower than in urban areas.