Three in five Brits say that the ‘SlutWalk’ protests, the name given to recent rallies in which women have claimed the right to wear what they want without being harassed by men, are not a good way to advance the cause of women’s rights, our survey has revealed.
And although more than half of British people believe that women who dress in a sexually provocative way are not responsible if they’re sexually harassed, over a quarter of people say that women who dress in a more suggestive way are responsible, with three quarters saying that they are also more likely to be harassed.
- 57% of Brits believe that women are not responsible if they dress in in a sexually provocative way
- But 27% of Brits believe that women who dress in this way are responsible if they are sexually harassed
- Nearly three quarters of people (73%) say that women who dress in a sexually provocative way are more likely to be harassed
- While 14% disagree
- A sizeable 61% of people do not think that the recent spate of ‘slut walking’ is a good way to advance women’s rights
- While just one in five people (20%) think that the protests help the cause of women’s rights
The recent spate of ‘SlutWalks’ began in Canada following one Toronto policeman’s ill-judged comment that women could avoid rape if they didn’t dress like ‘sluts’. Thousands of people across Canada, the USA and Britain have marched in protest, with many dressing in purposefully provocative attire. The protesters hope to put focus upon the current mindset, which they say blames the victim, rather than the abuser, for sexual crimes.
On Saturday, up to 5,000 people took part in London’s ‘slut walk', as women in stockings, bras and basques proudly exhibited placards scrawled with statements such as ‘Cleavage is not consent’, ‘It’s a dress, not a “Yes”’, and ‘Hijabs, hoodies, hotpants; our bodies, our choices’. While the original march was sparked by events in Canada, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke unwittingly fuelled the angry sentiment behind the marches when he was forced to apologise after appearing to suggest some rapes were not as serious as others during a BBC interview last month.
