France Outlaws Catcalling

Linking It to Increased Violence Against Women

“Men who wolf-whistle or sexually harass women on French streets face fines of up to 750 euros ($885) after lawmakers in the National Assembly approved tougher legislation to combat sexual violence.

The law, backed by a majority of lawmakers in an overnight parliamentary session, comes amid a worldwide wave of sexual assault allegations against men in business, entertainment and politics.” (Business Insider)

As of May, 2018 it’s a fineable offense to catcall or harass women on the street or on public transportation in France. This may turn out to be a difficult law to enforce but it’s still a symbolic step in the right direction. Incredibly, some people still think of catcalling as something that is perhaps annoying, but largely innocuous. However, there is a growing body of evidence that supports what women have long known, that public objectification of women quite often leads to real danger for them.

“A new study by the University of Kent reinforces a reality that many women have long known to be true: that the sexual objectification of women leads to more aggressive behavior toward them. Researchers examined 275 people ages 12 to 16 in London to study the association between objectification and aggression towards women. Additionally, researchers also examined the correlation between gang affiliation and aggression in the same scenario. And the findings are honestly not that surprising. (Read: Women Share Stories About the First Time They Were Catcalled)” (Fitness Magazine)

In 2014 Cornell University teamed up with Hollaback!, an organization whose mission is “to build safe, inclusive public spaces by transforming the culture that perpetuates discrimination and violence.” Together they crafted a study that analyzed the experiences of over 16,000 women from around the world. What they learned was surprising even to them. “We hear stories of street harassment every day and, even so, this data shocked us,” said Hollaback! Deputy Director Debjani Roy. “We can no longer dismiss street harassment as a ‘little problem,’ this is everyone’s problem.”

Here are some notable statistics from the survey:

• 84% of women around the world experienced street harassment for the first time before they were 17 years old
• 82% of international respondents reported taking a different route home/to their destination
• 71% of respondents report being followed
• 82% of transgender women around the world report being harassed because of their gender identity
• Over 50% of international respondents report being fondled or groped
• Half of women who are harassed around the world report feeling anxiety after experiencing harassment

Whether or not escalation occurs, the fear of potentially being groped, followed or raped means that street harassment often has negative psychological effects, including depression, sleeplessness, anxiety and chronic stress.

“For example, an individual may receive one cat-call on their walk to work. In isolation, this could be an unpleasant and mildly stressful event, or may not have any bearing on that person’s day. However, should that experience of a mild stressor occur every day for months or years, then it becomes a chronic source of stress that can negatively impact mental health.” (The Biochemist)

Most women around the globe experience street harassment before the age of 17 but responses to the Twitter category #firstharassed indicates that many, many women are first targeted by age 10 or 11. Street harassment is unacceptable at any age, but the wholesale assault on girls who are essentially still children is particularly reprehensible and should not be dismissed as no big deal.

“The (Man)Box is one of main reasons why men harass women on the street and why catcalling and violence tends to escalate when men are in groups. Since the Box is hierarchical as well as performative, the guy at the bottom of the heap is at risk of being cast out. So each guy has to compete with the others in order to not be the one who’s outside the Box. And as each one’s performance becomes more vigorous, it forces the others to do the same.”

Beginning to shift hegemonic masculinity from a domination based model into a partnership model would go a long way towards making the streets safer for girls and women. Codifying into law that street harassment is dangerous and socially unacceptable is the first step in that direction. Vive la France!