One in five women say they worry about being attacked by a stranger in public.
That's according to a survey by the Department of Justice, with women almost twice as likely to feel unsafe than men.
Meanwhile close to a fifth of women feel vulnerable to getting mugged or robbed - also nearly double the level reported by men.
Cliona Sadlier, Director of the Rape Crisis Network says women who don't feel safe tend to choose a 'security response' by restricting their freedom.
"That's only a very temporary and possibly an ineffective measure.
"What we really need to be asking ourselves is not how we will feel safer because then we've been driven and led by the perpetrators, what would be helpful for is that we talk about what would maximise your freedom.
"How would we feel free, how would we create a society where we have no locks on our doors at all."
