It was primed to be a big night on The Graham Norton Show. But no one expected just how big it would be.

Eddie Redmayne talked about learning how to use a mobile phone as a weapon. Fellow actor Paul Mescal chimed in: "Who is actually going to think about that?"

Then suddenly Saoirse Ronan, who had been trying to speak over the laughter, got a word in, saying: "That's what girls have to think about all the time." The men around her fell silent. Ronan continued "Am I right ladies?" The audience erupted into applause.

Ronan's knock-out line went viral. In the 10 days since, the conversation has grown and grown. 

Hundreds of women have voiced their agreement. One Twitter user said: "Men have the luxury of joking about situations that women would be threatened and horrified in."

The clip tells a gripping story. Four men engage in frivolous banter. A woman struggles to get heard. The men's fooling around only seems to confirm the point that men ignore women.

The evidence suggests Ronan is right. Campaign group End Violence Against Women says: "Being followed, harassed and assaulted are almost universally shared experiences of being a woman and girl."

Men do not often such experiences. Data released in 2021 by the British government found that one in two women felt unsafe walking alone after dark in a quiet place, compared with one in seven men.¹

Yet others think that many men are aware of crime and harassment against women. Big stories such as the #MeToo movement from 2017 have put women's safety on the map.

Toxic masculinityA stereotypical idea of masculinity focused on strength and dominance, common in many cultures, that many believe has a negative effect on society as a whole. has become a mainstream term. And organisations have sprung up such as Beyond Equality, which helps teenage boys to gain a better understanding of gender and the dangers facing women. At least some men can see.

Are men still blind to women's safety?

Yes: Men should try to walk a day in women's shoes. In England and Wales, over two million women a year are estimated to be victims of male violence.²

No: There is always more that needs to be done. But there are certainly plenty of men who are aware of the dangers against women. And crime against women has declined in some countries, including the USA.³

Or... Adult men are becoming more aware of women's safety. But some in Generation Z are turning backwards. One in six British men aged between 16 and 29 even say feminism has done more harm than good.⁴