How Many Female Joggers Get Harassed? New Study Shed Light On What Women Go Through On Runs

The dangers women face while jogging garnered national attention after three female joggers were killed over the summer. The tragedies of Alexandra “Ally” Brueger, Vanessa Marcotte and Karina Vetrano – all of whom lost their lives while jogging in their respective neighborhoods in broad daylight – has shed more light on the frightening truths about the horrors women experience while trying to exercise. More than half of female joggers endure harassment during a run, according to a survey conducted by Runner’s World, and men are the majority perpetrators.

The survey found that 43 percent of women overall have experienced some form of harassment while out on a jog. However, age demographics included in the survey showed a spike in harassment for younger women. Fifty-eight percent of women 30 years old and younger reported instances of harassment while 50 percent of women 30 to 35 said they experienced unwanted attention like being cat-called, getting honked at by drivers, grabbed during a run or followed.

The instances have caused 21 percent of women to carry pepper spray during a jog, and one percent of women even admitted to toting a loaded gun while jogging. Harassment has prompted 27 percent of women to switch to a treadmill to break a sweat while 60 percent of the women said they only jog during daylight.

The online survey showed the alarming differences women experience while working out compared to men, who only accounted for 4 percent of those harassed while jogging. Meanwhile, of all the women surveyed, 94 percent of them said their offenders were men.

The Runner’s World survey seems to be in line with a 2014 National Street Harassment report that said 65 percent of women experienced harassment of some sort while on the street. The report said that only 25 percent of men faced street harassment. However, men who identified as LGBTQ accounted for the majority of the harassment men encountered.