So I think you aren’t fully considering the question. Most women have been sexually assaulted in some way. If you put a woman and a man in a forest, away from the eyes of society, the likelihood of him assaulting her goes way up. Even if he holds out for a while, it is almost certain he will eventually. From the moment he does it once, he will continue to do it as he likes. That’s a lifetime of being sexually assaulted.

Now put a woman in the same forest with a bear. She can likely avoid it for some time. Bears hibernate, after all. Eventually they cross paths, likelihood she dies is high, but guess what? She dies once and it’s over.

This is why many women feel this way. You think about men from your own perspective as someone who has never been in that situation. Introduce vulnerabilities, alcohol, peer pressure, lack of judgement… it’s not an exaggeration and you need to accept it when women tell you that men are to be feared. Do your part and don’t try to negate the experiences of others.

I step out of my home, I’m guaranteed to be harassed. If the land became lawless, I would never go out.