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While there are many obvious differences between women and men, one that is not always as apparent is the levels of safety they feel in everyday situations. A study conducted by the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research found that, on a global scale, 46 percent of women do not feel confident or safe when walking alone in their neighborhoods at night, though this percentage jumps to 64 percent in America. However, only about 20 percent of men in the U.S. do not feel safe walking alone at night.

An increasing number of women have also indicated that they have suffered some form of violence and/or sexual harassment, and crimes against women that have been reported in the news (including those involving runners and walkers, occurring at various times in the day, not only early mornings and nights) have become more prevalent in recent years. Dallas resident Virginia Altick said her level of feelings of safety is contingent upon where she is at the time.

“I feel safe in my neighborhood, as most of my neighbors walk their dogs or walk for exercise and pick up trash, so we see each other regularly,” she said. “I do not feel safe in unfamiliar settings, which stems from an ingrained fear all women have drilled in them from an early age. I would love to drive to a beautiful trail and run whenever I please, but I consider the factors and make plans to meet up with buddies, instead.”

While many women do run by themselves, there are often certain precautions they must take (e.g., either not wearing headphones or not putting earbuds in both ears, potentially carrying pepper spray or other form of defense, and running in areas with lots of people around). Dallas-area resident Katy Flynn said she generally feels safe when she runs by herself, but if she’s not running, her level of comfort might change if she doesn’t have her dog by her side.

“The time of day doesn’t really impact whether or not I feel safe,” she said. “If I were walking alone, though, I think I would feel less safe, unless I had my four-legged security guard with me.”

Men are certainly still victims of crime, though research has revealed that such dangers are typically not top of mind for them. Dallas resident Nathan Medrano said he isn’t too concerned for his safety when he goes running, though senses are a bit more heightened in various settings.

“Outside of training for a race, most of my runs are done in the evening past sunset, either in my neighborhood or at White Rock Lake,” he said. “It can be a bit dark in some areas, so I do feel the need to be more aware of my surroundings. It may be just excessive paranoia or too many TV shows and movies, but there are areas where I think to myself ‘if someone is going to get me, this is where it will be,’ so then I’ll take a quick look over my shoulder.”

Of course, running and walking are not the only times when people need to pay attention to what’s around them. It’s important for all individuals, particularly women, to make sure that they are not distracted and are paying close attention to what’s around them when they are completing routine tasks in public, such as loading groceries into the car, walking to and from a car in a parking garage or parking lot, and having drinks at a bar or restaurant (remember never to leave your drink unattended). While Altick said she generally feels safe in Dallas because of her level of familiarity and the choices she makes, she knows that she needs to be on guard in certain areas.

“I choose to frequent establishments I have already ‘vetted’ with experience, such as where I go to get an oil change or state inspection,” she said. “Despite the location, every time I stop for gas, though, I turn up my spidey-senses, as this seems to be where I’ve been approached by strangers most often. I make sure to take my purse out of the car, lock the doors, and look around and not down at my phone while the gas is pumping.”

Similar to Altick, Flynn chooses to go to places with which she is familiar and doesn’t have too many safety concerns while she’s out and about. However, she said she ensures that she is prepared if an uncomfortable situation presents itself.

“There have been instances in which I have held my key in between my fingers in preparation to poke an eye out, but I generally feel like no one will mess with me,” she said.

Medrano said he very rarely takes safety into consideration when he goes out but does tend to avoid “sketchy” areas where problems may arise.

“If I want to go somewhere, I just go and never think about it,” he said. “Will you find me walking down a dark alley in Dallas? Probably not, unless there’s a shiny piece of candy.”

This is not the case for Altick, though.

“As a woman, I think of safety before anything I do because women, in general, experience higher degrees of unsafety in the world,” she said. “It would be great if all humans had in mind to care for each other’s best interests emotionally and physically, but unfortunately, we cannot trust everyone to do that.”

There are different reasons for a woman’s feelings of unsafety, including previous personal experiences and stories and admonitions they have been told. Whatever the causes may be, they can result in fears and hesitations that are not always as common for men.

“I think women tend to be on the receiving end more than men when it comes to any kind of harassment, stalking, attacks, etc., and it dates back,” Flynn said. “I hate to say it, but I feel like it’s par for the course for being a woman—we have to endure a lot more than men in all aspects, period.”

Altick said she values the work of Teal Swan, a bestselling author who focuses on human development and relationships. She referenced an exercise in which Swan asked participants at one of her talks to raise their hands if they hadn’t felt safe in the past year, month, and day, and all of the women in the room kept their hands up.

“Perhaps it is biological—men are typically bigger and stronger than women, yet men may not realize the impact this has,” Altick said. “Teal shows how men can acknowledge this advantage and take ownership of it in order to help their female counterparts feel safe.”

At a height of 3,212 feet (and with a plunge of 2,648 feet), Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world.

Resumes have typically served the purpose of highlighting a person’s work experience, skills, and certain accomplishments that are generally relevant to his or her career or the specific job for which the individual is applying. Nowadays, it’s not completely uncommon to see the areas specified for skills and achievements contain some nontraditional—and often non-job-related—feats, including completing a marathon, as they are thought to further reveal a person’s work ethic and character.

This idea surfaces mixed opinions, particularly for NatNews dear readers. Of those who participated in an online research initiative, 37 percent believe that running a marathon should be included on a resume, 13 percent think that it’s an irrelevant accomplishment, 38 percent said it depends on the person’s career field, and 12 percent indicated that they don’t think it matters either way or simply do not care. Dallas-area resident Ivan Alonzo is among those who think marathon runners should leave their race finishes off of their resumes.

“I feel that resumes should be limited to professional achievements,” he said. “That said, unless you’re a professional runner or maybe the overall winner of a marathon race, it has no place on a resume.”

Dallas-area resident Cindy Hallo said adding a marathon finish to a resume should only be done for someone applying for a position in a health-related or running-related field. However, she said she thinks there are still areas in which this information can be incorporated.

“I think all of my friends are amazingly cool for running marathons, doing triathlons, etc., but I’m not sure the average hiring manager agrees,” she said. “Most times I’ve applied to anything over the years, they ask for a resume but then have extra random questions for you to answer. That’s probably a more appropriate place to bring that up.”

An individual who lives in New York City and wishes to remain anonymous doesn’t necessarily think marathon achievements should be placed on resumes, though she does believe that such information can be valuable to highlight during a portion of the job-seeking process.

“I think it shows work ethic and perseverance, but I feel like some folks would view it as irrelevant on the resume, so it could be a ding,” she said. “I think it would be a potentially good interview thing, though. Mention it, and then connect it to work ethic.”

One argument some individuals have made in favor of including a marathon finish on a resume is that it could catch someone’s eye, serve as a conversation starter, or create a connection between you and a resume reviewer or interviewer if that person is also a runner.

“I think it’s good to show some personality,” Dallas-area resident Megan England said. “And it’s smart to put something like that to stand out and possibly steer the conversation. I’d ask about it as an interviewer.”

England also said that, while she doesn’t think that accomplishments are necessary to include on a resume, adding a category of fun facts or activities in which the individual participates outside of the workplace could be beneficial in certain situations.

“Obviously, I think this is job-specific and also personality-specific,” she said. “Not everyone can pull that off.”

Alonzo, however, said he believes that achievements—whether those include running a marathon, climbing a mountain, completing an IronMan, or a number of other feats of the sort—should only be highlighted on a resume if they are relative to the line of work a person is seeking.

“I don’t believe recruiters or hiring managers are interested in seeing personal interests and hobbies,” he said, “at least not for the purpose of hiring the best-qualified candidate for a given role.”

There are certain other activities that are not necessarily job-related that some individuals believe can be incorporated into a resume, especially when those activities are indicative of what values and investments of time and energy are important to the person applying.

“Is volunteering something that’s normally on a resume?” Hallo said. “If you’ve volunteered somewhere regularly or worked every Thanksgiving in a soup kitchen or something, I think that would be a good thing to add.”

The further one progresses in his or her career, the less integral some particular aspects of a resume become. Experience and relevant roles and responsibilities tend to overshadow academic achievements, and in further support of her perspective that a marathon accomplishment certainly has a place on a resume, England said personal successful endeavors are important.

“I would only list honors and academic-related items for my first adult job as I am entering the workforce,” she said. “After that, I wouldn’t ever mention them. It looks desperate and like you peaked.”

Hallo, however, thinks such feats are still more industry-specific and role-dependent.

“Are you applying at Nike to a creative or people-skills-forward role?” she said. “Sure, brag on yourself. Applying at Deloitte as an accountant? Maaaaaaybe not.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

The NatNews staff, some dear readers, and the Employee of the Month at one of our favorite local establishments enjoyed a Saturday afternoon filled with college football and memorable convos 

Monday, November 25: 36th Annual Carol of Lights at Historic Downtown Grapevine
Tuesday, November 26: Free Rooftop Movie — FRIENDSgiving (three Thanksgiving episodes) at Sundown at Granada
Wednesday, November 27: Mavs vs. Knicks at the American Airlines Center
Thursday, November 28: Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot at Dallas City Hall Plaza; Scheels North Texas Turkey Trot at Frisco Square; Irving Turkey Trot at Toyota Music Factory; Cowboys vs. Giants at AT&T Stadium
Friday, November 29: Stars vs. Avalanche at the American Airlines Center; Grand Tree Lighting Celebration at the Galleria (also on Saturday); Metal Shop — A Tribute to ‘80s Hair Metal at Legacy Hall
Saturday, November 30: WRRC Saturday run from Taco Joint; SMU vs. Cal at Gerald Ford Stadium; Ping Pong Tournament at Community Beer Co.
Sunday, December 1: DMA Free First Sundays — Access for All at the Dallas Museum of Art