1 yes that counts
An enthusiastic, freely given yes is the only yes. Anything less means stop.
Saferthanabear
[01]
Safety lets women live their fullest lives.
To live choice-filled lives, free from fear. Our work helps men become part of the answer, so women and communities can thrive. It is rooted in a simple idea: that men can learn to be the reason a woman feels safe, and that respect, kindness and safety can be taught.
Women have been telling us for years what it's like to move through the world. So we asked the question:
[02]
What does safe mean today?
Researchers at the SourcesCDC — National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS)Stop Street Harassment — 2018 national study (GfK)Gallup — U.S. crime and safety pollingRAINN — Perpetrators of sexual violence and national surveys have asked women across America to share their experiences of safety in their lives and communities. This is what they told us.
81% of women
have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime.
Source: Stop Street Harassment, 2018 national study
Women are twice as likely as men
to be afraid to walk alone at night near their own home — 53% compared with 26%.
Source: Gallup
About 8 in 10
sexual assaults are committed by someone the survivor already knows.
Source: RAINN
Let's go deeper...
[03]
Women are telling us something
Safety is shaped by everyday moments — on the street, online, at work and at home.
Nearly half of women
have experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.
Source: CDC NISVS 2023/2024
About 1 in 6 women
have been stalked at some point in their lives.
Source: CDC NISVS
[04]
What creates or limits safety?
Public spaces aren't neutral
68% of women
have been sexually harassed in a public place like a street, store, park or restaurant.
Source: Stop Street Harassment, 2018
Unwanted touch is common
About 1 in 2
women say they have been touched or groped in an unwelcome way.
Source: Stop Street Harassment, 2018
Harm has moved online
1 in 10
women have experienced technology-facilitated sexual violence.
Source: CDC NISVS 2023/2024
Safer Than A Bear invests in men for the long term — building the skills of respect, kindness and safety through honest conversation, practice and accountability. We believe good men can become safer men, and that lasting change takes time. Here's how we put that into practice.
[05]Respect
Respect is the first thing every woman should be able to expect from a man
Respect opens the door to trust, by making sure women are heard, believed and free to choose.
0 exceptions
Pressure, guilt, alcohol or a relationship never turn a no into a yes.
3 questions
Did I ask? Did I listen? Did I accept the answer?
Respect is listening the first time. It's believing women when they tell you how they feel, and taking “no” — or “not now” — as a complete answer.
Through workshops, coaching and practice, we help men build respect into the everyday: on dates, at work, online and at home.
Our vision is that every man treats every woman as an equal whose word is final — at home, at work, online and on the street. Safer Than A Bear is:
Teaching consent
as an everyday habit, not a technicality.
Practicing listening
so men hear what women are actually saying.
Modeling respect
for the boys who are watching how men act.
[06]Kindness
Kindness turns strength into something women never have to fear
Kindness is strength under control — in how men speak to women, about women and around women.
2 ears, 1 mouth
Listen twice as much as you speak — especially when she's telling you how she feels.
10 seconds
The pause between feeling angry and choosing what you do next.
Every word counts
How men talk about women when women aren't in the room shapes what other men think is acceptable.
Kindness isn't weakness. It's patience over pressure, curiosity over control, and words that build up instead of tear down.
We help men practice the habits of kindness until they become second nature — and pass them on to the boys and young men watching them.
Our vision is that strength and kindness go together, and that men are known for patience, not pressure. Safer Than A Bear is:
Building self-control
with practical tools for anger, rejection and frustration.
Changing the conversation
in locker rooms, group chats and workplaces.
Making amends
by owning mistakes and making them right.
[07]Safety
Safer men make safer streets, homes and communities for everyone
Safety is the sum of a thousand small choices men make every day.
6 feet
Give space on an empty street, train or parking lot. Cross the road. Keep your distance.
The 3 D's
Distract, delegate or directly intervene — three safe ways to step in.
2 numbers to know
911 in an emergency. 1-800-799-7233 for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Safety means women don't have to plan their route, their words or their exits around the men nearby.
We train men to give space, read the room and step in when another man crosses a line — so the women around them can simply live.
Our vision is a world where women never have to calculate their safety around men. Safer Than A Bear is:
Training bystanders
to step in safely when another man crosses a line.
Partnering with teams
in schools, workplaces, teams and congregations.
Connecting to help
so men know what to do and who to call.
[08]
Meeting the moment
This research reveals a consistent truth: women carry the work of staying safe, every single day.
When men take on their share of that work — respect, kindness and safety — women can build freer lives, and communities grow stronger for everyone. That is how a man becomes safer than a bear.
Our story
A strong manisn't the oneshe fears.He's the oneshe never hasto thinktwice about.