Nearly half of women aged 15 to 25 in the Netherlands sometimes walk or drive a longer route to avoid places they feel are unsafe in their own neighbourhood, national statistics office CBS said on Friday.

In 2023, 45% of women in this age group reported taking such detours, compared to 21.5% of men. The difference was consistent across all age groups, with older women also avoiding unsafe areas more often than men.

The findings also show that women are more cautious about opening the door in the evening. Seven in ten women aged 65 and older said they sometimes do not open the door at night, compared to 53% of men in the same age group.

In all age groups, women were less likely than men to open the door, regardless of whether they lived alone or with others.