OK so I'm going to take a crack at answering the OP honestly. I know questions like this can stir up some unwarranted man-hate (sorry guys
), but they are thought-provoking and can help foster better understanding between men & women (and humans & bears!).
I don't know anyone, male or female, who really LIKES being in situations where they feel vulnerable. And women usually end up in those situations more often because they are physically weaker than most men and also have more reasons to be targeted.
I was once in a local charity-run thrift shop, and the checkout was being run by a male volunteer I had never seen before. No worries though..... until I suddenly realized I was the only other person left in the store, he was flipping the sign to say "closed", locking the door, and completely blocking my only way out of the shop. I didn't have a phone on me, you couldn't see into the store from the outside, and nobody would have heard me if I called for help. And he was at least twice my size. Did I believe this unknown man to be a danger while I was in the store surrounded by other shoppers? No. Did I believe him to be a danger when I suddenly realized it was just the two of us and the exit was blocked? No..... but I also didn't have enough information to believe that he wasn't. So panic rose. But then I felt guilty about the panic because why would I even consider the worst about this person, simply because he was unknown to me, male and much larger than I?
In the end, I opted to shop for a few more minutes (they weren't closed yet), paid and left as casually as possible so he wouldn't feel like I thought he was a creep. Because I really didn't think he was, I just didn't like the feeling of complete vulnerability. But it also got me thinking that guys probably hate the feeling of being under suspicion simply because they are male. I'm really sorry that happens but I guess it's just a part of life, just as lone women will always feel vulnerable and that's no picnic either?