Beyond urban fear of the young woman. Practices of spatial resignification and survival to violence in the city of Zaragoza

Abstract

In recent years, the street harassment has been acknowledged as one of most important problems in our societies: international campaigns, policy decisions and social movements have worked on this issue. In this article, we propose to go into the subjective dimension of this phenomenon. We will try to delve into the street harassment consequences, and into this phenomenon influence on how woman perceive the urban environment. Twenty-one young woman from the Spanish city of Zaragoza have been interviewed. The interviews are semi-structured and in depth. The results show a complex and adaptive experience of urban fear. This experience isn´t based exclusively on the own experience, and it is mixed with adaptation and apposition responses. These elements are important for to do a right analysis of the issue and for to develop effective responses.