You’ve nailed it, Joe. That’s a HUGE reason, if not the primary reason, why many women won’t take mass transit (or bike by themselves late at night or in isolated areas). Why do women drive SUVs? Safety. Why do women want to live in clean, well-maintained, suburban areas? Safety…and good schools, which are also considered “good” largely because they are safer than other schools.
This makes sense on the surface. But what’s interesting is that most denser urban areas have a female/male ratio significantly higher than 50/50. I think that MEN have the desire to protect women and push them to get SUVs, move to the ‘burbs, etc….
