Women are often targeted for assault in varying life situations. Some authorities suggest that women should behave in certain ways, altering their lifestyles, in order to avoid being accosted or attacked. Prior research studies suggest that women who are knowledgeable about self-defense feel less vulnerable overall. The goal of our research is to determine whether or not women who are familiar with self-defense measures feel a greater sense of security than those who have no such knowledge. We hypothesize that women with knowledge about self-defense initiatives feel safer on a daily basis than women who do not. We distributed 100 surveys to female college students at UNC Asheville that contained questions pertaining to levels of safety experienced on a daily basis as well as opinions about and familiarity with self-defense measures. Survey questions included both open-ended items and questions answered on the basis of five-point Likert scales (e.g., 1=not at all, 5=very). We will calculate item means for each objectively-rated question in order to determine overall opinions about security and self-defense measures. We hope that our findings will prove valuable in meeting the needs of college women who wish to feel safe and secure. Ideally, our research will encourage college administrations to introduce programs that will equip female students with information or self-defense skills needed to enhance their sense of security.
