A wolf-whistle from a stranger is harassment, right? Well, it turns out if you agree with that statement, you’re at odds with most Aussie women.
Apparently, we are far less likely to consider wolf-whistling and even being hit up for sex as unacceptable. That is, according to a study on attitudes about sexual harassment.
Two Perth universities have polled 1734 women from 12 countries, finding Australians will accept certain behaviours than others feel crosses the line.
Just 26 per cent of the Australians surveyed believed it was inappropriate for a man to ask them for sex at a social event.
Listen: Did the women surveyed miss the Time’s Up movement memo? (Post continues after audio.)
But that’s an absolute no-no for Egyptians, with 100 per cent objecting, along with Indonesians (99 per cent), Japanese (97 per cent), and Portuguese women (88 per cent).
And only 25 per cent of Australian women thought wolf-whistling was inappropriate, compared to 98 per cent of Egyptian women.
It also seems Aussie woman are generally happy for men to buy them a drink, with just 12 per cent objecting to that, compared to 71 per cent of Indonesians.
However Aussie women are less forgiving when it comes to low-level stalking and mysterious gifts arriving in the mail.
The survey showed 64 per cent of Australian women don’t appreciate a man showing up at places they’re known to visit in the hope of an encounter.
And 74 per cent think it’s inappropriate for a man to send them strange parcels.
The Italians were far more liberal there. Just seven per cent didn’t like the idea of men popping up as they went about their business and only 23 per cent thought it wasn’t right for men to send them things.
Top Comments
I don't know if it's sexual harassment, but I do know it's just plain inconsiderate and bloody condescending.
Their opinion of me doesn't matter to me in the slightest. They're insignificant, but arrogant enough to think I'm going to be flattered by their two seconds of attention. Thanks, but I'll pass.
Betcha they're the same guys who shout insults to overweight women on the street
I would have thought the statistic that 71% of Indonesian women would object to men buying them a drink might have more to do with the fact that Indonesia is a Muslim country and women are much less likely to drink. A comparison with a non Muslim country would be far more meaningful, but is noticeably absent.