It was primed to be a big night on The Graham Norton Show. The Irish chat show host had one of his most star-studded line-ups ever, with three generations of Hollywood stars sharing the sofa. But no one expected just how big it would turn out to be.

Eddie Redmayne spoke about getting self-defence lessons for his TV series. He recounted being taught 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.

Norton quickly changed topic, keen to avoid serious discussion. But Ronan's knock-out intervention became immediately 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. Our experiences are so different!"

The clip is only half a minute long. But it 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.

Ronan was the perfect person to deliver the point. She is a remarkable actor. Her recent film performance as a recovering alcoholic in The Outrun was praised as full of "intelligence and plausibility".¹ She has a grounded personal life, and the relatability required to deliver stone-cold truths.

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 share these 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. And 44% of women aged 16 to 34 have experienced a form of harassment, such as catcalls and whistles, while 29% felt they had been followed.²

This spills over into violent crime. Earlier this year, British police chiefs warned that violence against women is a "national emergency".

Sometimes it seems the world ignores women's sufferings. As Guardian columnist Marina Hyde remarks, "at least 26 women" have accused US presidential candidateA person who had been nominated for election as president. Donald Trump of sexual assault. This shocking fact "has not even remotely dominated the news cycle".

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

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., once a term used by specialist groups, has become a mainstream term. Organisations have sprung up such as Beyond Equality, which helps teenage boys to gain a better understanding of gender and the dangers facing women. Some men at least 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.³

No: There is always more that needs to be done, but there are certainly plenty of men who are aware of the dangers faced by women. And crime against women has declined in some countries, including the USA.⁴

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.⁵