Running in the dark: Gendered differences in perceived safety in the Netherlands

In 2025, running specialist PassaRunning released the findings of research among 1,000 men and women in the Netherlands, exploring gendered differences in feelings of safety while running in the dark.

What you should know:

• 41% of women feel unsafe running in the dark. Women are more than three times as likely as men to feel anxious running in the dark (34% vs. 10%), and for nearly a third, that's reason enough to stop running in autumn and winter altogether. The fear is not unreasonable: the study notes that 15% of women surveyed have been harassed while running in the dark, versus only 4% of men.

• Women frequently take precautions to feel safer, such as avoiding dark routes, wearing reflective gear, or sharing their live location, but also running without music or in groups. Jip van Kessel of PassaRunning emphasizes that this is merely treating symptoms, and that women should never have to feel the need to take these measures.

• Dutch women feel most unsafe when they sense someone following or watching them, with poor lighting and isolated areas adding to that anxiety. They call for better street lighting and increased police surveillance as key solutions. A majority of Dutch men and women believe pepper spray should be legalized, and that men should be more considerate of women who feel unsafe in the dark.

Learn more:

• Read more about study results.