The Safety Project

* For the purposes of this project, “socialized” is defined as: the process of learning how to behave in accordance with societal gender expectations, or gender roles. *

This project investigates how gender socialization shapes access to safety information from a young age. By asking participants what they were taught growing up to keep themselves safe, the project reveals how perceived gender roles influence the tools, advice, and awareness people are given.

Over six months, I collected responses from communities across western Pennsylvania. Participants answered four questions by writing their responses on colored fabric squares—each color corresponding to a different question. The responses were grouped by those socialized as male and those socialized as female, then sewn into the two quilts shown here.

These quilts serve as visual records of collective experiences. Placed side by side, they reveal patterns of shared concerns, gaps in education, and stark contrasts in what different genders are taught about personal safety.