Abuse to female runners and in general needs calling out says West Mercia Women's Aid charity
A University of Worcester survey found more than half of respondents reported experiencing harassment and abuse while out running, the majority being female
A Worcestershire and Herefordshire women’s charity is urging for more people to call out any behaviour which might make women feel uncomfortable in public.
It follows a University of Worcester study which revealed the vast majority of female respondents had experienced harassment while out running.
The Running Free, Running Safe survey heard from 101 people in total, 61 women and 40 men, with more than half of those reporting experiencing harassment and abuse.
A form of abuse most common in being directed at women was men shouting obscene and sexualised remarks or comments from vehicles and the shouted abuse was often about the victims’ appearance.
"This part of abuse while running is just the thin end of the wedge of the attitudes that we see against women"
Chief executive of West Mercia Women's Aid Sue Coleman says it isn't fair women have to put up with it.
She said: "We're all aware that if you're out and about then catcalling and unwanted attention and abuse is something that the majority of women have experience at some point in their life.
"This part of abuse while running is just the thin end of the wedge of the attitudes that we see against women though.
"It's all part and parcel of what we hoped was starting to become old fashioned, that kind of assumption that it could be considered banter, but actually it is completely unwanted and unsolicited attention and for a lot of women it can be really quite offensive and potentially quite frightening."
Research from the University of Manchester last year found over two-thirds of women who run experience some form of abuse.
Half of the women surveyed say that form of abuse was verbal, with 13 saying they had been physically assaulted while out running.
"We know that there's an epidemic of violence and misogyny and women certainly do"
"It continues to be important to highlight this issue because despite the best efforts of so many women's organisations in particular, very little is changing and very little is getting any better," Coleman said.
"We know that there's an epidemic of violence and misogyny and women certainly do, so this particular piece of work just further illustrates the extent to which it encroaches on women's lives.
"As an organisation we’re certainly not alone in really looking for ways in which we can encourage and work with men as allies to start to challenge the attitudes that make people think it is ok to make women feel uncomfortable and scared when they're out and about running."
The study has now entered its second phase to record the experiences of runners in the lighter summer months.