Street harassment: helping women also improves men

The most positive effects of introducing a safety app are the least expected ones and involve men at least as much as women.

A randomized experiment conducted among students at Bocconi University shows that talking about safety, even simply by inviting people to download an app, does not produce uniform results. Instead, it generates differentiated and partly surprising changes: it can increase risk awareness, make some groups more cautious, reassure others and, above all, weaken men’s adherence to traditional norms of masculinity, legitimizing vulnerability.

It is precisely this heterogeneity that represents the central finding of the research: implementing a solution is useful, but not sufficient. Without systematic measurement of effects, segmentation of target groups and the ability to calibrate interventions, even an inclusion initiative driven by the best intentions risks producing unexpected impacts.

Apps and perceived safety

Street harassment is a pervasive global phenomenon. More than half of women worldwide have experienced harassment in public places; in Italy, 52 percent of women say they feel unsafe walking alone at night. Despite growing international regulatory efforts, the issue remains characterized by underreporting, a lack of real-time data and measurement difficulties, especially when it comes to perceived safety.

To date, the literature has produced limited evidence on the concrete effects of technological safety tools, partly due to evident ethical constraints: it is not possible to randomize exposure to risk.

Hence the research questions, which randomized not risk itself but the invitation to download two safety apps:

• How safe do female and male students feel in public spaces?
• Do safety apps influence perceived safety, anxiety, mobility and gender norms?
• How relevant is safety compared with salary and flexibility?
• What implications emerge for companies?

The aim is to understand how technology reshapes attitudes, behaviors and social norms.

Strong gender differences

The study is based on a randomized controlled experiment conducted between October and November 2025 among students at Bocconi University. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: the first was invited to download an institutional emergency app; the second a NGO-developed app focused on women’s safety; while the third served as a control group and was only asked to complete two questionnaires two months apart, without being invited to download an app in the meantime.

The initial sample included 1,972 participants (46 percent women); the sample that completed both questionnaires consisted of 991 individuals (48 percent women), with no significant differences in attrition across groups.

The baseline snapshot reveals a picture of widespread concern: 53 percent of the sample do not feel safe walking alone at night, 70 percent show signs of anxiety and 51.6 percent have experienced or witnessed street harassment in the previous month.

Gender differences are marked: 78 percent of women do not feel safe at night (compared with 31 percent of men), 84 percent have experienced sexual harassment in public places (compared with 24 percent of men) and 83 percent show signs of anxiety, compared with 55 percent of men.

Heterogeneous effects and economic value

On average, the invitation to download an app does not improve perceived safety; on the contrary, along the home–campus route, it slightly reduces it (−0.14 on a 5-point scale). The effect is stronger for women (up to −0.37). However, strong heterogeneity emerges.

• For those who initially felt less safe, the effect is null or slightly positive: avoidance strategies decrease, with a slight increase in evening outings.
• For those who initially felt moderately safe, the effect is a decline in perceived safety, an increase in anxiety and a reduction in outings after 10 p.m. The apps redistribute risk awareness.

The effects on anxiety are also heterogeneous. Among those invited to download the app, a slight decrease in anxiety levels is observed; among those who actually download the app focused on women’s safety, nighttime anxiety increases significantly. Once again, the effect depends on the starting point: for those who were already frightened, the app may provide reassurance; for those who felt safe, it increases the salience of risk.

The intervention does not change the overall frequency of evening outings, but it increases the probability of not going out after 10 p.m. (+3.6 percentage points), especially among women. Here too, the pattern mirrors that of anxiety and perceived safety.

An unexpected and noteworthy result concerns gender norms. Access to information about safety apps reduces adherence to traditional norms of masculinity, especially among men. They become more likely to consider it acceptable to talk about anxiety with peers and identify less with statements such as “men must appear strong,” “I dislike asking for help” and “winning is the most important thing.”

Through a conjoint analysis of hypothetical job offers, it emerges that students assign high economic value to the safety of the commute between home and workplace. All else being equal, respondents would be willing to give up:

• Approximately €270 per month for a safe and easily accessible workplace.
• Approximately €240 per month for flexible working hours.
• Approximately €60 per month for benefits such as taxi reimbursement or safety apps.

Workplace safety and flexibility carry comparable weight for men and women.

Monitoring and segmentation

The study has important implications for managers who intend to introduce inclusion and safety measures. The findings do not offer single or “magical” solutions. As already observed with other inclusion practices, such as flexible work arrangements and parental leave, the study underscores the need to monitor and measure the change generated, with a view to continuous improvement and adjustment.

Segmentation is also crucial. Interventions do not have uniform effects. Those who feel most unsafe may experience some improvement in terms of perceived safety and anxiety; among those who feel safe, perceived safety declines and a slight increase in anxiety may occur. Communication must be carefully calibrated.

Safety is a lever for attracting and retaining talent. The value attributed to a safe workplace is economically significant, on par with flexibility.

Finally, there is a cultural effect. Safety interventions can weaken rigid masculinity norms and legitimize vulnerability, especially among men. When an organization acts on gender-based violence, it contributes to redefining what is socially acceptable.

The research findings contribute to the content of the Leadership inclusiva e strumenti manageriali. Creare valore per imprese e persone (Inclusive leadership and managerial tools. Creating value for companies and people) program.

Silvia Barbareschi, Clio Gressani, Maria Ventura, with the scientific advisory of Paola Profeta and Francesco Perrini. Molestie di strada e il potenziale degli strumenti tecnologici  (Street harassment and the potential of technological tools). Research by the Strategy and Operations Knowledge Group, SDA Bocconi School of Management.

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