VULNERABLE WOMEN AND PROTECTIVE MEN The geography of fear in the Swedish town of Umeå

1. VULNERABLE WOMEN AND PROTECTIVE MENThe geography of fear in the Swedish town of Umeå Linda Sandberg, PhD student, Department of Social and Economic geography Umeå University, Sweden E-mail: Linda.Sandberg@geography.umu.se

2. THEORETICAL POINT OF DEPARTURE The geography of fear How fear affects peoples use of public space in an urban context • Focus has been on women's fear of violence in public space • More women than men are afraid • Women restrict their mobility as a consequence of fear

3. A middle-sized town in the north of Sweden with 110 000 inhabitants A city with a self image of being low-crime, ’calm’ city UMEÅ

4. 7 assaults between 1999-2001 1 assault in 2005 Umeå 1999-2006; A very specific threat;”The Haga man”, a serial rapist

5. THE STUDY In-depth interviews with women and men living in Umeå • 2001; 8 women • 2005; 10 women and 10 men • 2006; 10 follow-upinterviews from 2005 20 new interviews (10 women and 10 men)

6. LEARNING TO BE AFRAID A process that changed: • Umeå's self-image as a safe city • People’s behaviour and use of space

7. ”THE HAGA MAN” AS A TURNING POINT Prior “The Haga man”; A safe city for all • Few women saw themselves as potential victims • Most women felt relatively safe in public space • Few men reflected on women's safety

8. After “The Haga man”; Learning to be afraid • Women became perceived as vulnerable • Women restricted their use of public space • Men became aware of that they were perceived as a threat • Men became protective; • Over women they knew • In their use of space

9. It should not have to be like this… The Female ambivalence; afraid and restricted vs. bold and equal The Male anger; • At the perpetrator • That they were perceived as potential perpetrators

10. CONCLUSIONS • As a response to a specific threat: • A vulnerability awareness was developed in Umeå • Among both women and men: • Women became perceived as vulnerable and hence aware of their own vulnerability • Men became aware of women's vulnerability, and hence protective over women they knew and in their use of space