I've definitely been harrassed in Toronto and even walking down a main street in my suburban Ontario town. Though it was NOTHING compared to when I went to Italy - I can't imagine having to deal with the daily/hourly harrassments there. Crazy!

Like Catherine, I have certainly been harrassed, but when I was living in France, it was far worse. The things men in business suits said would have made American construction workers blush.

A trip around the world really shows you how far behind other countries are in their understanding of sexual harrassment.

I went to Egypt for 8 days a few years back was physically harrassed twice.

One time a young boy grabbed my breast and ran off and the other a shopkeeper tried to rub himself against me.

I definetly was not "my fault" and one time I had a male right next to me. I can only imagine how its worse for the women who live there.

Most men I met were very nice, but it only takes a few to do wrong and the rest to do nothing for a serious problem like this to occur, kinda like here!

I lived in Jordan for a few months, and the sexual harassment there is actually not terribly different than what I have received in the states. It was less overtly sexual, and you got less verbal abuse for standing up to it, but the attitudes were the same. My study abroad coordinator actually showed us a video on street harassment in the Middle East, and the general attitude seemed to be one of "If you are a woman out in public you are asking for it" or the ever present "women see it as a compliment!" no matter what their reactions may be.

At least in Jordan, there are laws against this harassment, which can lead up to the man being imprisoned for a few months for insulting the woman's honor, but will usually be settled with a hefty fine provided it goes to court at all. Women are generally encouraged to drop the charges to avoid public attention being drawn to her and the associated "dishonor."

hmmm...I think I feel a blog post brewing under this

I have no trouble believing this at all, or even suspecting that the number is much much higher. I'm just shocked that the center found a way to phrase the questions to the men in such a way that those men would consider what they did actual harassment, or did they ask "Have you ever shouted at a woman in such a manner....?" and extrapolate the result from the answers to those questions? Because from my experience the kind of people who sexually or racially abuse others don't feel they are harassing, they feel entitled to act out this sick shit.

I live in a very small, New England town; very 1950s. But still, when I used to walk or bike from my house to the library downtown, I would get catcalls and harassed -mostly from people in cars. I was telling a friend of mine the other day that yes, women do get harassed (he didn't think it was prevalent) and that for me it started young; I was 12 the first time (mostly because that was my age when I moved to said town), and he was shocked because even now I look extremely young for my age. Now, I just drive down there, even though it isn't far at all. It just isn't worth the hassle.

I also remember being on a school trip to France and how one of my roommates smiled at a soccer (or rather, "football") player, and how he and his buddies took this as an invitation to harass every single girl in our party, and tried to bang down our hotel room door.

I've been studying in Morocco for a while now, and I have to say, I'm surprised the numbers aren't higher. Harassment is a pretty big problem here, and it's much worse in Egypt.
I'm a pretty small girl, and having blonde hair and pale skin doesn't help me blend in. While I don't dress in what I would consider a provocative manner, (and certainly wouldn't get me extra attention in the States) I feel compelled to cover up, to wear long pants and baggy long sleeved shirts in the summer heat, and to wear hijab when I go outside, just to reduce the amount of harassment I get walking through the streets.
While sometimes it's only staring, it's usually much worse, especially in larger cities. I've had my ass grabbed, pinched, and had the most disgusting things said to me, in several different languages. I've been told that I'm going to be raped, or kidnapped, or given as a present to people's sons, and I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been called beautiful.
The worst part is, it gets to you. While I definitely consider myself a feminist, and usually have no problem sticking up for myself, it's hard not to retreat, to walk with your head down, clutching at the nearest male companion.

http://www.splicetoday.com/sex/use-profanity-if-necessary
My response is to give them a piece of my mind - though of course, it's always wise to be conscious of the cultural norms. What's a good idea in NYC or Sydney might not always be smart in the rest of the world.

I've been keeping a log of how often I'm harassed. It's not daily (thank god -- although, I think that might be because I look kinda mean) but at least weekly. I, of course, holla back. >:D

Lest anyone think the harassment is directed only to Western tourists, Egyptian women put up with this mess every step down a street.

This has been going on for decades, but here's an unpleasant twist: I've found that the recent "return" of large numbers of Egyptian women (for most of the 20th century, amongst the most Westernized in dress in the Muslim world) to Islamic higab/headdress has actually intensified the harassment toward those (Muslim and Christian) women who choose not to cover their hair.

Though, in reality, all Egyptian women are still up for visual ogling/cataclling "grabs" (not in the literal sense, usually).

Rachel Setzer: You know those tools you can use to find the best paying jobs and cheapest rent/housing in the country? Someone should figure out a way to compile that data for sexual/racial/etc harassment.

I live and work in Manhattan too and get harassed at least a few times a week. What really made me mad recently was my boyfriend's reaction when I revealed this to him. He wouldn't believe it. So I've asked him to follow me around one day -maybe a few steps behind - to see what I deal with. It's anything from construction worker cat calls to spanish remarks (which they think I don't understand since I'm white maybe) and men walking up to me and making ridiculous comments. Walking home from work (near Wall St.) a man walked up beside me, stared me in the face, then the breasts and then my butt, and said "gorgeous, gorgeous". I was frightened because he had a piercing stare and was so close to me. I walked it off but who the hell would think to do such a thing? Obviously there are plenty of nutjobs out there. The fact that a man would think this was acceptable was apauling.

While I was studying abroad in Israel me and my friends took a week long trip to Egypt, and I can attest that the harassment there is indeed that prevalent. The men harassed me and my friend even when we were wearing long jean pants and sweaters (on a 90 degree day). Walking with a male friend didn't help, they just shouted that the guy was lucky for having two beautiful wives. My friend got her ass grabbed a few times and I guess the only reason why mine wasn't grabbed was because, at 5'1'', it would take too much effort. I never felt like such a target before, it was like a bulls-eye was painted on me. There was a little bit of that in Israel, but not as bad. My friend continued to get harassed though even getting physically assaulted when she was with her mom. She ran into my room crying one night after a similar incident. It's just scary that this is a part of the world that feminism still hasn't penetrated much. Covering up and traveling in groups with male friends doesn't work when the men in the area have the mindset that if you are in public, you are available for that kind of attention.

I'd like to see this study disaggregated. It would still no doubt be shocking, but the fact that "ogling" is included is probably inflating the results. It is a vague term and likely includes actions that would be absurd to call harassment. I mean, I'd feel safe claiming that 100% of heterosexual men have "ogled" a woman, it is instinctual and essential to society as part of that whole reproductive process.

Xtine, did your boyfriend eventually believe you? I hate that men think harassment doesn't happen because they don't do it or they don't witness it. Of course they're not aware of it; it's not happening to them!

Logrus, I would imagine they asked the men about specific behaviors but did not categorize them as "harassment" in the survey.

You know, I used to get harassed all the damn time. When I would walk in NYC, I would hear "nice tits," or even better, "nice tits, cunt." I would sometimes hear anything that ran the gamut from, "Hey, pretty," to "Niiice legs" to "Fiiiiiine" to "You fat fucking bitch" to "Ugly whore." Also, the guy at the 7-11 asked me if I was married and where I lived the other day.

Now, I live in Boston and I know the place well enough to feel
comfortable here. I also wear my Ipod constantly and I only take it out when I'm in a store or I need to be hyper-aware.
For me, this is kind of awesome because I no longer have to listen to whether men think I'm fuckable enough. The other day, some guy came over to me and started talking and I gestured at my headphones and gestured bak at me to take them out. I smiled all regretfully at him and said "no" and it felt great.

I realize that blocking out men's hostile comments is not a societal solution, I really think that men should knock it the fuck off. However, there is a feeling of freedom when you have the means to tune them out completely.

Can we lay off the construction workers a little, people? I have been interacting with a lot of them for some time now, and the ones working on my office are so polite and friendly. The ones working on the buildings that I walk by everyday never say a word but "good morning." They may check me out, I don't know, but none of them does it in a creepy way. It seems kind of awful to accuse a whole job class of this behavior, especially when I have met far, far more sexist men who work in the white collar sector.

Re: boyfriends, why don't they believe us about street harassment? Mine doesn't either. "Walking behind me test" it is.

Bondo, although you're correct that terms should ALWAYS be defined as specifically as possible, I used [Egyptian men's] "ogling" to mean penetrating, invasive, walk-alongside woman-for-several steps-while staring, boring-holes-into-woman's skull or body visual assaults.

I am not referring to a man looking up appreciatively over the top of his newspaper, or a man discreetly nodding towards a woman in a manner that directs his friends' [equally discreet] attention to her. I don't consider that ogling; that's just "Hey, I like her look/walk/attitude."

When I lived in Boston, I was harrassed on the street constantly--probably not every day, but three to four times a week, mostly by men passing in cars. It was catcalls, heckling, leering, comments about my body, and the occasional, "Hey Sweetheart! You need a hand with those grocery bags!?"

Since moving to Seattle a few years ago, the ammount of harrassment has dropped off considerably--maybe three or four times a month does it happen, and it mostly happens when I'm waiting for the bus early in the morning (I go into work at 6 or 7).

Hey, everyone. I am a long time lurker, first time poster. However, givn my recent experiences I felt obliged to comment...

I recently returned from a seven week stay in Morocco where I studied and traveled. For those of you who are not familiar with the country, it is the western most of the Arab states. Despite the fact that 99% of its population of approx. 33 mil. is Sunni Muslim, it is considered on of the most liberal and "westernized" of the Arab states.

So as far as the sexual harassment--- well, I went over there with a certain idea for clothing choices. Everyday I wore men's jeans, a black undershirt, a polo shirt, sneakers, large sunglasses, and a drab baseball cap. The only parts of my body that were exposed were my arms, my face, and the upper portion of my neck. So despite this, I was cat-called on the street at least four or five times a day. One time, I was walking with my friend (also for the States) who was wearing a long skirt and a cute blouse. Some men called after us and asked if I was a Lesbian. So seriously, there was no "safe ground" I could walk on as far as avoiding unwanted attention. I resented well before the end of my stay.(BTW, I have no problems with the LGTB community- my God father is a gay man)

The interesting thing is my host sister, 16, wore tight lowcut jeans, tank tops, and heels and very few men called after her. I took it from my other American friends that many of the men on the street condsider American women "easy."

There were also all sorts of women in the country. Some wore clothes like my host sister. Other wore beautiful jelabas (traditional Moroccan dresses) with loosely wrapped head scarves, and other women wore the hijab/face veil, balck elbow length gloves.

*However* I have no problem with the country itself. It is a very beautiful place. I did meet one gem of a man whom I have contacted through my e-mail. I will see where things go and If I ever decide to move to Morocco, I would seriously consider wearing the hijab (veil) just to avoid the attention (weather I convert to Islam or not- leaving all possibilities open). I don't think there would be any other way for me not to look "western" because I have a fair complexion.

Well, thanks for letting me share my story.

I'm not sure how typical my experience is, but I rarely experience this type of harassment in Los Angeles. I've lived here for 12 years - I go out a lot and I spend time in many different neighborhoods. I also worked in downtown for a stretch of time, during which I rode the subway to work almost daily. And I'm in a band that plays out at bars. I'm wondering if the culture is different or has shifted in a positive direction out here or am I just an anomaly?

On further reflection, here's my definition of what constitutes ogling *on the street*--that is, what crosses the line from acceptable to unaccetable/invasive:

Is the "looking" one-sided?

In other words, if the viewer looking after a stranger on the street for his/her own pleasure/benefit without involving the "subject"? Then, fine. Look away. No boundaries on eyesight.

But is the viewer intentionally trying to alert the "subject" to his/her gaze? (That is, ostentatiously looking; staring deeply into eyes; calling out to draw attention to the gaze itself?) Then I would say that has crossed the line from admiration (which is one-sided and needs no engagement with another) to harassment (which draws attention to itself almost by definition and screams "this is my Gaze! I', looking at you! Look back at me! Engage with me! Feel my presence!")

I am aware that some women do get harassed on a regular basis, so those numbers (sadly) don't surprise me. What does surprise is the amount of women who have been regularly harassed. I can't really know first hand what it feels like because while I get weird looks from people, for the most part no one ever bothers. I have short hair and people often mistake me for a boy (even when the rest of my attire screams "GIRL!"), but that can't be the only reason, can it? I mean, enough people realize I'm female. It's not like I want to be acknowledged in a negative way (or at all, really. At least when just out walking.) But I wonder why some women are targeted constantly and some almost never at all. Does it have everything to do with being "traditionally" attractive in some way? I know that I've witnessed verbal assault when walking around with some of my girlfriends. I mean, I have had people say creepy things to me a few times, but certainly not to the vulgar extremes being discussed here.

Am I the only one here in this position?

What really frightens me is that a lot of men really don't consider it harassment - they think screaming "nice ass" is a compliment and that you should flattered. WTF?

I forgot to mention that besides harrassment with positive comments, I've also been called a whore at least three times.

Two were when I was in high school and people yelled out the window of a bus that I was a whore. The second I walked down the street and a guy walked right past me, and right in front of my male friends told me I was a slut or a whore (I can't remember which one). In all of those situations, I was wearing a skirt.

Needless to say, it upset me greatly - especially since I was virgin all of those times.

Has anyone been called a slut/whore on the street?

I wrote my master's thesis on street harassment last year and have an excerpt about people's studies on the prevalence of street harassment from my lit review and the results from my own informal, online survey of 225 people last year on my website http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/research. I found that 98% of people I surveyed had been street harassed at some time in their life and about 30% were street harassed on a regular basis (weekly or daily). I suspect that if I just surveyed people in urban areas it might be higher.

I'm collecting interviews with street harassment activists http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/interviews.htm and link to one with Engy Ghozian, Project Coordinator for the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, so check it out.

Let me know if you have any suggested resources for my site and/or feel free to share your views & stories on street harassment on the companion blog.

I wrote my master's thesis on street harassment last year and have an excerpt about people's studies on the prevalence of street harassment from my lit review and the results from my own informal, online survey of 225 people last year on my website http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/research. I found that 98% of people I surveyed had been street harassed at some time in their life and about 30% were street harassed on a regular basis (weekly or daily). I suspect that if I just surveyed people in urban areas it might be higher.

I'm collecting interviews with street harassment activists http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/interviews.htm and link to one with Engy Ghozian, Project Coordinator for the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, so check it out.

Let me know if you have any suggested resources for my site and/or feel free to share your views & stories on street harassment on the companion blog.

@ Danyell:I am aware that some women do get harassed on a regular basis, so those numbers (sadly) don't surprise me. What does surprise is the amount of women who have been regularly harassed."

Yes. I've wondered the same thing. Along the same lines, I've noticed that some women get "hit on" with a seemingly high frequency as well. Contrast with me, I think I've only gotten a phone number on the street three times in my life (I'm almost 40). [Not complaining here just comparing and contrasting]

I've noticed that some of my friends get asked for phone numbers, approached, etc way more than I ever did.

Now, I'd be curious to know if there is any relation to the amount of "positive" attention and "negative" attention that some women receive.

I would classify my overall experiences with strange men as being negative (e.g. called names, had to sneak out of an ice cream shop, threatened to be hurt, etc).

For me it was a double insult, that is to leave the house feeling as a verbal spittoon; and yet, practically ignored by reasonable men.

I wrote my master's thesis on street harassment last year and have an excerpt about people's studies on the prevalence of street harassment from my lit review and the results from my own informal, online survey of 225 people last year on my website http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/research. I found that 98% of people I surveyed had been street harassed at some time in their life and about 30% were street harassed on a regular basis (weekly or daily). I suspect that if I just surveyed people in urban areas it might be higher.

I'm collecting interviews with street harassment activists http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/interviews.htm and link to one with Engy Ghozian, Project Coordinator for the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, so check it out.

Let me know if you have any suggested resources for my site and/or feel free to share your views & stories on street harassment on the companion blog.

Danyell, I can't speculate as to what goes through harassers' heads, since I am not a harasser.

However, here are some ideas:

1. Are you in a region or neighborhood in which your ethnic group is not represented, and in which women of your ethnic group are semi-"invisible" to the men of the ethnic groups populating your area? For example, I am not European. I am further of an ethnic group that traditionally has little romantic interaction or dynamics between Western or East Asian men and women of my group. As such, whenever I'm in an area with a lot of European-American and East Asian-American men, I get a blessed respite from catcalls and stares.

2. Are you in an unusually progressive area or city? I don't mean just that men wouldn't harass women they find attractive and believe are heterosexual, but that men wouldn't harass women they find unattractive or believe are lesbians, either. (Note: I am NOT conflating homosexuality and unattractiveness!)

To be honest, I have been harassed while looking my toe-up, unwashed, slovenly worst. And many of my powerfully-built, short-haired female friends are harassed on the street as well, in various ways. Harassment does not mean appreciation. Just like rape does not mean sex [as we normally understand a non-procreative sexual act to be--for the sole purpose of pleasure].

This is why I suspect it may have something to do with the people (men?) around you, and less with you yourself.

"and a majority say women themselves are to blame for their maltreatment"

this part was particularly awful.
i'm sick, sick, sick and tired of the "well if you wear a short skirt you're asking to get harassed!" argument. it's both sexist and a big, fat lie. i'd like to take everyone who seems to think that the reason women face street harassment is their attire around with me for a day, with a ponytail, no makeup on, in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. or any of my friends for that matter, whether they are a size 2 or a size 20. newsflash: it doesn't matter what we wear because it's about THEM, not US.

I lived in NYC for 8 years and didn't have too many problems with harassment except for when a) I was wearing a dress or b) I was riding my bicycle. Which actually was pretty often now that I think about it.

The dress thing drove me crazy - the only way I could stop the constant, ongoing harassment (seriously, I'd get crap nearly every city block, never mind the shit I'd put up with walking through subway stations or standing on the platform) was to wear a long-sleeved cardigan over the dress, which kind of defeated the purpose of wearing a sundress on really hot day. But this was even true when I wore a goddamn LONG-SLEEVED dress when it wasn't hot out. In fact, I was followed into a building and groped when I was wearing a long sleeved dress with a heavy jacket over it!

The bicycle thing was weird, too. Men would make lewd gestures at me while I was riding, every single time I was riding (and I wore pants OVER my bike shorts specifically to avoid this, so my ass wasn't exactly hanging out). I think part of it was that I couldn't sass back as easily on a bike because I'd be past them before I really had a chance to. It nearly - but not completely - vanished once I started wearing sunglasses. Something about them not being able to tell if they were making eye contact, I think. These guys were looking for a reaction, and if they couldn't gauge one, they didn't try at all.

Most of the time, though, when I wasn't wearing a drive or riding a bike, I didn't have many problems.

@uplate6674- "Something about them not being able to tell if they were making eye contact, I think. These guys were looking for a reaction, and if they couldn't gauge one, they didn't try at all."

Exactly. See my mini-thesis on "one-sided Gaze," above.

I live in one almost the epitome of white suburbia, in the Midwest, and even I've been harassed in public. As though shouting sexually explicit things from your car is going to make me interested. (Wasn't that a Seinfeld bit?)

Becca, they're not trying to make you interested.

Ack! I meant when I wasn't wearing a DRESS, not drive.

As for the car thing, no the guys aren't trying to make you interested. Even the ones who reaaaaally slow down their car, practically drive up on the curb, and try to convince you to get in the car with them. I've had this happen several times, and each and every time, I was terrified. They couldn't possibly expect me to actually get in the car - we've all been taught not to get in cars with strangers. They just want to make you feel unsafe - they think that the street is 'theirs' and a woman who dares walk down it deserves what she gets from them.

Danyell: "But I wonder why some women are targeted constantly and some almost never at all. Does it have everything to do with being "traditionally" attractive in some way?"

I've wondered that myself about the kinds of harassment people receive. I and one of my friends get annoyed/harassed with relative frequency in a highly urban area, but it's by a noticeably different set of people.

I seem to get all the white collar wolf whistlers (harassed from a distance, rarely if ever approached), she get creepy guys who keep trying to talk her into their cars and won't leave her alone until she runs into a nearby store/restaurant.

She's more passive and heavyset, I wonder if those predators have honed their senses to notice which women are more likely to be afraid of the attention and zero in on them because they're less likely to fight back.

Okra -- I don't think your definition is right. Certainly there are times that eyes meet in the street and it's not ogling; I know at least one married couple who met randomly on the streets of New York. So one-sidedness isn't right.

How about this as a workable definition: ogling is a gaze which is intended to establish dominance. Healthy attraction may prompt a look which goes on too long, but when the eyes meet is accompanied by a smile or a blush. Ogling is hard, angry, or just weird. In other words, it's symptomatic of male sexual insecurity; absolutely 100% about men and male culture, nothing at all about a woman wanting to look pretty.

I wrote my master's thesis on street harassment last year and have an excerpt about people's studies on the prevalence of street harassment from my lit review and the results from my own informal, online survey of 225 people last year on my website http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/research. I found that 98% of people I surveyed had been street harassed at some time in their life and about 30% were street harassed on a regular basis (weekly or daily). I suspect that if I just surveyed people in urban areas it might be higher.

I'm collecting interviews with street harassment activists http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/interviews.htm and link to one with Engy Ghozian, Project Coordinator for the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, so check it out.

Let me know if you have any suggested resources for my site and/or feel free to share your views & stories on street harassment on the companion blog.

Living in New York, when I was commuting to work rather than working from home, I can definitely say I was harassed daily. (Though I doubt that's just a NYC thing!) How about you?

Yikes. Every day? That sucks.

Do you think this happens more in big cities, like NYC? Do you think there's sort of a pack mentality that people - and men - get caught up in, where its more socially acceptable? Obviously, being male, I don't have any real empirical insight. But I live in a more rural area, and I don't think my female relatives and ex-wife were exposed to this kind of stuff on a daily basis. But, I could be wrong about that. It could be that there's just more men in an urban area, thus more opportunities for women to get cat called.

I wrote my master's thesis on street harassment last year and have an excerpt about people's studies on the prevalence of street harassment from my lit review and the results from my own informal, online survey of 225 people last year on my website http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/research. I found that 98% of people I surveyed had been street harassed at some time in their life and about 30% were street harassed on a regular basis (weekly or daily). I suspect that if I just surveyed people in urban areas it might be higher.

I'm collecting interviews with street harassment activists http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/interviews.htm and link to one with Engy Ghozian, Project Coordinator for the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, so check it out.

Let me know if you have any suggested resources for my site and/or feel free to share your views & stories on street harassment on the companion blog.

I wrote my master's thesis on street harassment last year and have an excerpt about people's studies on the prevalence of street harassment from my lit review and the results from my own informal, online survey of 225 people last year on my website http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/research. I found that 98% of people I surveyed had been street harassed at some time in their life and about 30% were street harassed on a regular basis (weekly or daily). I suspect that if I just surveyed people in urban areas it might be higher.

I'm collecting interviews with street harassment activists http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/resources/interviews.htm and link to one with Engy Ghozian, Project Coordinator for the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, so check it out.

Let me know if you have any suggested resources for my site and/or feel free to share your views & stories on street harassment on the companion blog.

"Do you think this happens more in big cities, like NYC? Do you think there's sort of a pack mentality that people - and men - get caught up in, where its more socially acceptable?"

I think that there is a pack mentality thing to a lot of cat calling. Normally, there was more than one guy in the car in the times it pulled up to me.

At the same time, I think it has something to do with anonymity in a city atmosphere. In the same way people feel safer letting loose all the vitriol in their system on the internet, I think men in cities feel like there is less of a possibility they will ever see this woman again -or be introduced to her at a town function or have her end up being his best friend's girlfriend. Rural areas have less people, so running back into that woman you just suggested sit on your cock is much more likely. That's all my opinion, of course.

@dondo: Ogling is hard, angry, or just weird.

Yes, and I would add to that: Ogling makes the recipient feel uncomfortable

I’m waiting for the trolls to come in with the requisite “but, but, what about teh menz?!?! We have a Constitutional right to harass, er, “talk” to women on the streets!”

My experience in Egypt was certainly eye-opening. I'm a European-American Muslim, so I wasn't sure what to expect, to be honest. My first day there, I had a couple of men try to touch me in the Khan-al-Khalili bazaar (shopkeepers, no less), and my hosts had to shame them into leaving me alone. I occasionally wore hijab when I went out (I don't usually wear it Stateside) and my experiences were no different. I had the camel guys try to grope my ass while I was riding the camel (under the pretense of "keeping the camel in line") and I got tons of stares. I really wanted to remind them of the religious mandate to lower one's gaze, but I was intimidated. Once I spoke Arabic to a man, they thought I was Arab, and I got slightly better treatment, but not much better. Telling them I was Muslim immediately straightened them out.

The absolute worst was some man that repeatedly groped me on the train from Cairo to Aswan. I had to get some older women to tell him to leave me alone, because I was scared to confront him, as a woman or as an American. Some of the men on the train told him he was being a jerk and didn't seem to support him, but there are enough men like this in Egypt that I know this phenomenon will not stop anytime soon.

Did anyone else see how this was reported on Yahoo news? Not only was it in the odd news section, as if it's somehow d surprising and quaint that women are harassed (surely just in other, strange countries), but a question mark was put on the headline--despite the fact that the article was pretty unambiguous, and reuters didn't make it a question.

Two-thirds of Egyptian men admit to harssing women? at Yahoo news.

From the source, "The survey of more than 2,000 Egyptian men and women and 109 foreign women"

I don't really think that's a large enough demographic to draw such strong conclusions from.

Dondo, didn't say (or mean) that if eyes meet, it's automatically ogling/invasive. I said that if the gaze is "one-sided," it is not ogling/invasive. If you'll look at the analysis I offered, "one-sidedness" has everything to do with the viewer's intentions and perceptions, and less to do with the "subject's" actions (recalling, of course, the passivity and agency implications of traditional, unquestioning "viwership").

In the scenario I offered above, the man glancing over the top of his newspaper and smiling appreciatively could very well meet the eyes of the person he's checking out and still be within appropriate bounds. His pleasure is one-sided (the pleasure of looking at a person he finds interesting or attractive or what have you); his gaze is not demanding that the other person engage with him.

When he keeps looking over the top of his newspaper at the other person, and does something to try and penetrate her invisible space of territorial integrity--e.g. stares long and hard without smiling; smiles TOO much, in a leering fashion; pointedly stares at parts of her body and then looks up again to ensure that she noticed his attention to her body parts--that is when the viewing is no longer about his moment of self-pleasure and is, instead, about exercising power over another.

I think that there is a pack mentality thing to a lot of cat calling. Normally, there was more than one guy in the car in the times it pulled up to me.

At the same time, I think it has something to do with anonymity in a city atmosphere. In the same way people feel safer letting loose all the vitriol in their system on the internet,

Oh, yeah. That totally makes sense. How stupid of me not to realize that. I'm sure some men feel like they can act like goons in a big city because of the anonymity factor. And perhaps, as you suggest, there are cultural safeguards against men acting like goons in a smaller town or rural setting. Its not a knock on city men, rural men can be goons too. But, I think you are totally right.

This isn't at all hard to believe. If you've ever been to Egypt you've most likely experienced some form of harassment from guys. Lots of cat calling and whatnot.

I'm also not surprised they think it's the woman's fault. If she's at all uncovered, that is so obviously an invitation to harass her, right? Idiots.

"I'm not sure how typical my experience is, but I rarely experience this type of harassment in Los Angeles. I've lived here for 12 years - I go out a lot and I spend time in many different neighborhoods. I also worked in downtown for a stretch of time, during which I rode the subway to work almost daily. And I'm in a band that plays out at bars. I'm wondering if the culture is different or has shifted in a positive direction out here or am I just an anomaly?"

wandergrrl--i live in los angeles and i get it nearly every day. i don't know where your band plays, but i work in hollywood and if you can walk down a street there, particularly after dark without getting some dude to at least yell stuff at you from a moving car, if not worse, you have magical powers that i want you to share with me.

i do realize that the amount of harassment varies by neighborhood and in some areas of town it's probably minimal.

Danyell, I rarely, if ever, get harassed on the street either. I feel fortunate that I do not have to put up with that sort of thing, but it makes me wonder what attracts that kind of attention. I know that douchebags want to blame women on this one, but it certainly isn't the way we're dressed because I have frequently witnessed my sister (who looks a lot like me) receive catcalls while dressed very modestly or down right sloppy, like in sweat pants. I used to think that I wasn’t bothered by men on the street because I am really aloof in public, but I honestly don’t think it is because I’m doing something “right” to protect myself from this harassment, or else I’d share the secret with everyone else. If anyone has any insight into why some females get harassed frequently while others don’t, then please fill us all in, and I hope someone doesn’t say, “Maybe it is because you are fucking ugly.”

When I lived in Charleston, SC a few years ago I got harassed on a regular basis, at least once a week. I went for a walk most evenings on a major road by my apartment complex. Pretty much everytime I went for a walk I would be harassed. One guy drove up and down the road I was walking along five times one night, and each time he passed me he would yell something offensive and each time they got more offensive. One guy started to follow me into my apartment complex until he saw my neighbors police car in the parking lot. After that I stopped walking because I was so freaked out. I also had a guy follow me for about three blocks in downton one night saying horrible things.

Danyell, I don't think it has anything to do with being "traditionally" attractive. I've always been a plus size women and that hasn't stopped men.

"From the source, "The survey of more than 2,000 Egyptian men and women and 109 foreign women"

I don't really think that's a large enough demographic to draw such strong conclusions from."

Agreed. The title of this post is very misleading and crass to label on a country of 70 million people

I lived in NYC for 8 years and didn't have too many problems with harassment except for when a) I was wearing a dress or b) I was riding my bicycle. Which actually was pretty often now that I think about it.

You're lucky, I guess. I was harassed daily when I lived in New York. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad nowadays. My experience living in New York made me extremely angry and extremely aggressive. If I went back there, the harassers would most likely be running for cover, but whatever benefits there are to living in the city, being surrounded by so many rude, aggressive, paranoid, uncaring people just isn't worth it.

Do you think this happens more in big cities, like NYC

I've lived in a few big cities, San Francisco and San Jose, New York, and now Seattle and I've visited many more. Overall, cities might be worse than small towns, but I also think it depends on the culture of the city. New York is awful. So is D.C. I've heard Boston is bad. But, in my experience, San Francisco wasn't too horrible and harassment in Seattle is practically nonexistent. I think it really has to do with what is considered permissible in a city's culture. Seattle is very restrained, SF is kind of laid back, New York is a free for all.

I got harassed on the damn interstate the other day.

I was minding my own business when I passed a carful of boys. Suddenly they sped up, cut me off, slammed on their brakes, then pulled alongside and yelled and waved. Then swerved behind me and got on my bumper. And then cut me off again. In traffic. Going 80 mph. They could have killed someone.

They repeated this for over half an hour. I was considering calling the police, but I decided to try lose them instead. Luckily, the fuckers didn't follow me.

The was no touching or name-calling, but it was obvious they were doing it because I was a girl, and alone. It makes me so angry and frustrated to think that men are taught it's okay, and flattering even, to harass a woman in public. Those idiots could have caused a serious wreck, and all in the name of "flirting". Fuckers.

Danyell commented at July 18, 2008 1:33 PM: "But I wonder why some women are targeted constantly and some almost never at all. Does it have everything to do with being 'traditionally' attractive in some way? I know that I've witnessed verbal assault when walking around with some of my girlfriends. I mean, I have had people say creepy things to me a few times, but certainly not to the vulgar extremes being discussed here.

Am I the only one here in this position?"

I'm kinda in that position too. The strangers who approach me are the ones selling something or asking for directions. Except this one time in the library when some guy asked me if I was Jewish.

Okra commented at July 18, 2008 1:46 PM: "1. Are you in a region or neighborhood in which your ethnic group is not represented, and in which women of your ethnic group are semi-'invisible' to the men of the ethnic groups populating your area?"

In my case, it's hard to say. My family's Middle Eastern (and when I was in middle school I was bullied instead of ignored for those traits in a school with few kids who "looked Mediterranean"). I've usually lived in settings where most people are white and (at college) sometimes where East Asian is the largest minority among students.

Okra commented at July 18, 2008 1:46 PM: "2. Are you in an unusually progressive area or city?"

I'm in the Boston area, but 13lesslee and Cedar are too (see above).

I don't want to make is sound like I am blaming any woman here, just throwing this idea out to see if it seems reasonable to everyone or not: I wonder if it has to do with how we carry ourselves, if that gives men some kind of clue to how we might react. When I was younger, I used to walk home through a deserted part of the city at 2 a.m. wearing really short skirts, but I paid close attention to my surroundings and the minute I saw (or heard) someone nearby, I'd make a point of showing them that I knew they were there and was paying close attention. I'm sure I tensed up at the same time, especially since this was a time in my life where I wouldn't hesitate to assault people who touched me unexpectedly or without my permission (too much sexual harassment will do that to you!). But the times that I was sexually harassed, I was either not paying attention to my surroundings much or feeling totally calm and relaxed. What do you guys think?

I don't want to make is sound like I am blaming any woman here, just throwing this idea out to see if it seems reasonable to everyone or not: I wonder if it has to do with how we carry ourselves, if that gives men some kind of clue to how we might react.

The women's opinions here matter more than mine, since I'm not exposed to this kind of @ssholishness.

But I simply can't believe it has anything to do with the way a woman acts or dresses. Not that that should matter, men shouldn't be goons no matter what a woman is wearing. But, based on what I've heard from women, harrassment is almost totally unrelated to what one looks like, or how one is carrying themselves.

I think guys do it because its a power trip, and as someone else said, in an urban environment there is an element of anonymity that enables them. They feel like they can get away with it, because they'll never see the woman again and they don't have to consider the consequences, nor do they have to view her as a person - someone's sister, someone's Mom.....

Unfortunately, waxghost, I think even the small # of anecdotes shared above belie that idea. As a woman myself, it might be nice to believe I am in full control of others' reactions to me, given that I make certain modifications (admittedly, inconvienient and unfair) to my behavior or attitude.

I have had training in self-defensive martial arts. We had several classes on what type of "attitude" to project when walking amongst strangers who might have reason to become hostile or fixate on us in a threatening fashion (info was presented in a generally unisex fashion, even though more than half of class was women). When I walk through streets alone, I usually project altertness without being intensely focused on those peripheral to me. I am acutely aware of their position in relation to my body but not absorbed in who they are individually. Catcalls, hoots, and hollers still abound.

SO I experiment sometimes with different attitudes, looks, expressions. I wore my iPod for a week. I wore sunglasses (most effective thus far, as others have noted above). I tried appearing distracted by talking on the cellphone. I have been merely "voluptuous" and at other times in my life I have been noticeably overweight. I have had my natural textured hair and I have had hair that gives the illusion of a long straight mane.

The only thing that has remained constant has been my wardrobe: I generally dress in a business casual-to-casual fashion, always in trousers or comfortably-fit jeans. (I have not put on a dress since a special occasion six years ago). I wear makeup but not in "look at this!" colors.

IN all instances, the results were the same. The only time I have experienced respite is in the scenarios I raised above, when I was among large groups of men whom I have reason to believe view women of my particular ethnicity/national origin as "invisible." And, though it's disturbing that a whole group of people can be invisible to another, on the street, at least, that is just fine by me!

All of these experiences, as well as observing those of my friends and family, lead me to believe that it is all about the harasser and his or her perceptions. It has very little to do with the woman herself, otherwise there would be a discernible pattern to the "types" (looks, attitude, dress) of women harassers target.

Regarding harassment in big cities vs. smaller ones, I worked in my smallish hometown in Michigan last summer and am now working in West Harlem, NYC. I live on the UES but am moving to the east village soon, and I spend a lot of time around Union Square, the village, and St. Marks, and am either by myself or with one or two friends most of the time. The harassment that I've faced in NYC is absolutely NOTHING compared to what went on in small town Michigan. Last summer, I was harassed, groped, screamed at, or just plain assaulted every. single. day. of the three months I was there. Living in NYC, I've never felt safer.

That said, I did get harassed yesterday (one of the few incidents I've had so far in two months). I was coming out of an air conditioned building into the heat, and was taking off my cardigan. A guy (coming out of a well-known and expensive fitness club, btw) whistled at me and told me to "take it off, sexy" in the creepiest possible tone. I had had a really awful day already, and I let loose with a nice lecture: "Shut the fuck up! You can't make me feel uncomfortable out in public in the middle of the day! Do NOT speak to women that way, you entitled jackass, that shit is scary and I do not want to put up with it right now or ever again!" So what did he try to do? He reached out to TOUCH MY ARM (of course he "didn't mean it that way" once I called him on it), at which point I caused an even bigger scene, screaming at him that he did not have my permission to fucking TOUCH me and that he needed to turn around and go in the opposite direction of me before I called the police and reported him for harrassment. I have never seen a street harasser so embarrassed. Heh. This was all right in front of the doorman at his upscale midtown gym, right for all of his workout buddies to see. It was really, really satisfying to make sure that HE was the one that felt ashamed after that exchange.

Peter commented on July 19, 2008 11:25 AM: "nor do they have to view her as a person - someone's sister, someone's Mom....."

I got the impression that in some cases the harassers do view their targets as someone's sister, someone's mom, etc. and they don't like that someone.

Kinda like the way some guys out there seem to compete with each other while regarding "their females" as practically goal nets (trying to keep the ball out of your net while trying to get it in the other team's net isn't hypocritical in football/soccer, basketball, etc.).

traveltothesky commented at July 19, 2008 11:56 AM: "I had had a really awful day already, and I let loose with a nice lecture: "Shut the fuck up! You can't make me feel uncomfortable out in public in the middle of the day! Do NOT speak to women that way, you entitled jackass, that shit is scary and I do not want to put up with it right now or ever again!" So what did he try to do? He reached out to TOUCH MY ARM (of course he "didn't mean it that way" once I called him on it), at which point I caused an even bigger scene, screaming at him that he did not have my permission to fucking TOUCH me and that he needed to turn around and go in the opposite direction of me before I called the police and reported him for harrassment. I have never seen a street harasser so embarrassed. Heh. This was all right in front of the doorman at his upscale midtown gym, right for all of his workout buddies to see. It was really, really satisfying to make sure that HE was the one that felt ashamed after that exchange."

Awesome response! I wish I could come up with good comebacks like that as quickly as you did.

I too am intrigued re: what quality or situation it is that results in more/less cat-calling.

Growing up I lived in a larger city and couldn't walk downtown at all without having some sort of comment made, regardless of what I'm wearing. After moving to a smaller town 2 years ago, I have maybe experienced 3 or 4 times total. I don't feel that I've changed anything about myself, just my surroundings. The town is small, very progressive, and also has a larger than average population of older people. I wonder if this makes the difference - I'm much more likely to be approached by a stranger in a polite, friendly way, like "Hi, great weather today!" or something similar.

I grew up in New Jersey and experienced street harassment almost every day.

While I was visiting my mother (who lives in Oak Hill, Alabama) I was pleased to see that men and women who passed you on the street, would politely nod, or tip their hat if they were wearing one.

After years of being cat called by complete stranger, my jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

I too often wondered why some women are bothered daily and others are not.

I'm lucky in the fact that I am left alone. I've been living in NYC for years and I've never been bothered except for the very, very rare hiss. Usually the hiss is about telling me that I'm too ugly to be seen in public. Considering this, it makes me laugh when I hear people state that catcalling should be considered flirting. They assume that all yelps have to do with the hottness or something of the abused.

If I went by my own experience I would think the issue was getting better. But I've seen other women take crap so I know that my experience is the anomaly.

I am not at all surprised by this, though I'm sure that these Egyptian men don't see sexual harassment as a negative thing. Most of them think of it as a compliment to women (like men in the states). I did the Peace Corps for a while in Morocco, and was constantly harassed and assault twice (which is attributed much to the Muslim culture). Reporting it to the police is an absolute joke. Before the Peace Corps I lived in Manhattan for four years, and I can't really say if the harassment is worse there or in Morocco. It's just different, but being a woman in America, I feel comfortable enough to address the harasser. Because of cultural barriers, I could not do this in Morocco.

I am not at all surprised by this, though I'm sure that these Egyptian men don't see sexual harassment as a negative thing. Most of them think of it as a compliment to women (like men in the states). I did the Peace Corps for a while in Morocco, and was constantly harassed and assault twice (which is attributed much to the Muslim culture). Reporting it to the police is an absolute joke. Before the Peace Corps I lived in Manhattan for four years, and I can't really say if the harassment is worse there or in Morocco. It's just different, but being a woman in America, I feel comfortable enough to address the harasser. Because of cultural barriers, I could not do this in Morocco.

Okra-

I live/work in the NYC area (Brooklyn/Manhattan) but I have witnessed women being harassed right in front of me (not violently, or else I would have tried to do something, but cat-called, sweared at and such). It's really not safe to say whether or not NYC is progressive, since it varies so greatly from block to block.

Ethnically I am as confusing to most as my gender seems to be. I am biracial (half White/half Hispanic). I don't actually speak any Spanish. I've been told that I look like a variety of ethnicities and mixes so I equally feel like I fit in nowhere and everywhere. I feel uncomfortable in almost every neighborhood, knowing that I don't quite "belong" there. (Black, White, Hispanic, rich, poor, you name it! I feel out-of-place there!)

I know that rape is not about sex, and so you'd figured harassment isn't either. But I also know that a lot of men who harass women often don't think they are. A lot really think they're flirting or complimenting and then get confused and angry when the woman's reaction is negative. Somehow they think it's ok to act like that. But there are clearly also men who do it to put a woman "in her place" and I wonder why do some get harassed all the time and some, never?

bethmar10: I hope no one says "Maybe it's because you're fucking ugly."

That was definitely what happened when I was in high school. I just had people tell me I was ugly. Though, I did feel pretty ugly at the time. But these were people I knew- or at least, they knew who I was and vice versa. The worst I ever got in that sense from a stranger was someone in CT yelling out their car window "You've got a fucked up hair cut." (I was holding hands with my BF and I think they first mistook us for two boys...)

I can't see anyone here saying anything like that, even as a joke. I wonder if we can even get to the bottom of it, it seems like such a complicated issue.

As far as how you carry yourself, I've been with a friend who's had extremely lewd things said to her and she's extremely confident.

Ok, I have a quibble with how this article is presented here and some people's reaction to it.

Jessica posts about pervasive sexual harassment in Egypt and yet instead of discussing it further, she immediate changes the subject to the US and harassment she claims in her own life. A lot of other posters then having nothing to say about the situation in Egypt but rather make various claims about the level of harassment in the US.

This just seems dangerously like a moral equivocation response. People are too uncomfortable criticizing Islam, Arab culture or some other group, so they immediately change the subject back to more familiar territory. Is this lack of knowledge (i.e. not feeling informed enough to say anything) or (what I suspect) fear of being perceived as 'Islamophobic' or whatever?

I'm glad this article was posted, but I have never seen or heard of harassment here in America which compared to that in the Mediterranean world. I mean there are cases of people in Egypt who throw acid in women's faces for not wearing a veil (not to mention the prevalence of female genital mutilation), find something comparable here in the West.

I just got back from Morocco and I was harassed on the streets everyday, no matter what I was wearing. The culture there is slowly changing though...

Ogling women is sexual harassment? If that is a legitimate factor in determining sexual harassment, then I would be willing to bet that most men have been sexually harassed too.