Silvestre Cabrera, MaríaAristegui Fradua, IratxeRoyo Prieto, Raquel2025-06-112025-06-112023-02-14Silvestre Cabrera, M., Aristegui Fradua, I., & Royo Prieto, R. (2023). An analysis of responses to sexual assault against women in public space: practical gender needs or strategic gender interests? Social Sciences, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/SOCSCI1202010110.3390/SOCSCI12020101https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14454/3010This article focuses on sexual violence and the learned fear of rape experienced by women in their use of public space, understood as social constructions of a system of domination. We analyze a series of data, drawn from secondary sources, on the prevalence and perception of sexual assault in public space. This data confirms that sexual assault in public spaces is a real risk and that, as such, it is perceived and experienced by the majority of women. We have also selected and presented a series of institutional initiatives aimed at preventing sexual assaults on women in public spaces at night-time. Finally, we have constructed an index to study whether the selected institutional responses respond to practical gender needs or to strategic gender interests. The article concludes that all of these initiatives have a greater impact in the area of gender needs, but they are not able to reverse the structural causes of sexual assault or to contribute to true social change.eng© 2023 by the authorsLearned fearPractical gender needs and strategic gender interestsPublic spaceRape cultureSexual assaultSexual violencejournal article2025-06-112076-0760