Unwanted sexual behavior in public spaces
Recent research by IPSOS, commissioned by Plan International, shows that many young men say they do not find sexually inappropriate behavior acceptable. Their social environment also reflects this: eight out of ten young men say that none of their friends think it is okay to harass a woman on the street, and that their friends would look down on them if they did. In addition, three-quarters of the men say they would call out their friends for sexually inappropriate behavior toward women.
Plan International conducted a study on sexually inappropriate behavior among men aged 16 to 25. The aim of this research is to gain insight into the experiences and attitudes of young men regarding inappropriate sexual behavior toward women in public spaces.
This study answers the following questions:
- What do young men consider to be sexually inappropriate behavior?
- Have young men ever been a bystander or participant in such behavior?
- If so, in what context did this behavior occur?
- To what extent do young men consider sexually inappropriate behavior acceptable?
- When is it considered acceptable or not?
- What attitudes do young men hold regarding sexually inappropriate behavior?
Read the full study here.
