Why Men Catcalls

Written by Cristela Mejica

Also posted on Wednesday Wonders

If you’re a woman and you’ve experienced walking on the streets (especially at night) getting unwanted stares, whistles, and inappropriate greetings from men, you’d be wondering why they are doing that. Instead of questioning their actions, we question ourselves. ‘Is my outfit too revealing? Is there something wrong with me? Are my hips or breasts too flaunting?’ The blame is immediately on women. Even though you’re wearing a non-revealing outfit, men will still attack women with catcalling.

Here’s what the studies reveal as to why men catcalls:

1. A form of entertainment.

Yes, seems like a sick joke, isn’t it? As infuriating as it is, they do it for fun. Apparently getting women to be uncomfortable is entertaining for some men. They do not considerate the women’s feelings when they are hanging out with their friends. Apparently, it is a form of “bonding” for men. It’s cool to be bad, as they say.

This toxic masculinity must be stopped. The abuse and that sort of thing comes from the whole “men are bigger and better than woman” sort of behavior. If anything, males and females are entirely equal and should treat each other as such.

2. They are immature.

They're in a suspended state of adolescence. It’s actually seen as sort of positive to actually degrade women and, especially the ones they don’t know on a very deep level.

Be the mature person. Educate them that what they are doing is wrong even if it seems “fun”.

3. Ego-booster and for power

Guys feel a brief moment of power and to try to get noticed. If they are insecure with themselves, and have been looked down on and openly mocked by attractive women my whole life, a catcall or a car horn beep gives them a momentary feeling of power over women because they can see the discomfort.

Do not give them the satisfaction. Reject and ignore as much as possible.

4. They believe it might actually work.

One reason men catcall is they believe/know they will never have any actual contact with the woman YET they would like to. They see a woman and she looks nice to them. But they know they present nothing attractive to her. So they “get their jab in” as she walks by. It’s all they can do, and lame as it is, they feel they’ve done something.

Do not give them at least a tinge of hope. Walk or focus on what you’re doing, just do not attend to them. They can mistake it as flirting. If you ignored them, they would eventually stop it. But if the guy is persistent, just contact the police or ask for help.

5. They experienced violence as a child.

They either grew up to a household or an environment where abuse to women frequently occurs that’s why he thinks it’s okay to the same; or, he was often mistreated as a child and treating people bad gives him consolation. They immerse themselves in male-centric environments so they perceive women as inferior to them. Because of this they have the inability to put themselves on the line and talk to a woman like a real person, because that takes a certain amount of emotional risk.

One major solution a study found is that, getting men more involved in childcare and household responsibilities in order to “change societal norms.” Doing this will also require creating more pathways for women to enter the workforce. With promoting gender equality, the study suggests that men will become less inclined to catcall women and more inclined to play an active role in the household.

6. Lack of economic opportunities.

These street harassers are often the ‘tambays’. Not only because they lack education, but because they are also unemployed. They’ve got nothing to do better or get busy of.

The government should enforce job hirings to give them opportunities, especially the out-of-school youths. Companies often demand respect to every employee. Getting into the right company will make men be sensitive to women around them.

Changing these habits will be a long, uphill battle. But it is definitely worth the fight.

#NotAskingForIt

Resources:

Rueckert, P. (2017, June 20). The Infuriating Reason Men Say They Catcall Women on the Street. Global Citizen. Retrieved February 11, 2019 from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/street-harassment-study-men/

Koh, M. (2014, June 23). 11 People Who Cat Call Women On The Street Explain Why They Do It. Thought Catalog. Retrieved February 11, 2019 from https://thoughtcatalog.com/hok-leahcim/2014/06/11-people-who-cat-call-women-on-the-street-explain-why-they-do-it/

Nelson, E. L. (2018, May 2). 11 Guys Explain Why They Catcall Women. SHE’SAID’. Retrieved February 11, 2019 from https://shesaid.com/11-guys-explain-the-weird-reasons-why-they-catcall-women/