Would you rather be stuck in the forest with a man or bear? Why this simple yet loaded ‘viral’ question is leading to breakups across the world

A hypothetical question asking whether women would rather encounter a bear or an unknown man in the woods has sparked a heated debate – and a deeper conversation about male violence.

Thousands of women have revealed on social media that they would rather be stuck with a bear than a strange man if they were alone in the woods since the question popped up on TikTok.

The question has sparked a conversation about sexual violence, with women sharing that ‘the worst thing a bear can do is kill’ [them]’, and even then, bears don’t tend to attack humans unless provoked.

“People would believe me if I said I was attacked by a bear,” one person said, referring to how victims of sexual assault are often dismissed. “They wouldn’t ask what you were wearing, or how many other bears have attacked you, or suggest that you might have wanted to be attacked.”

So far in 2024, twenty-six women have been murdered in Australia at the hands of their partners or former partners, twelve more than this time last year.

Women attending a rally in Sydney calling for an end to gender-based violence held up signs reading “Right now I prefer the damn king bear,” “Ladies prefer the bear,” and “[I’d rather be] alone in the woods with a bear’.

The question is a veiled method to make people realize the threat of a strange man, especially in the wake of the deadly stabbings in Sydney’s Bondi Junction.

A viral video of Screenshot unveiled a Vox doll where seven random women chose the bear because it would make them feel safer.

“Men are scary,” one woman argued, while another said, “Bears don’t always attack you unless you [provoke] them.’

Many Australian women revealed on a popular Facebook that they argued with their boyfriends and husbands over the issue after receiving the ‘wrong’ answer from them.

“If a man can’t even recognize the risk that many of them pose to women or the atrocities they have committed against us, he doesn’t care,” one woman said. “I don’t think it’s stupid to end a relationship over this.”

“I’ll take my chances with the bear,” wrote another. “It may seem like a stupid question, but the buzz of comments and reactions is exactly why the bear already feels safer.”

Women rephrased the question by turning to their partners and saying, “If your daughter were lost in the woods, would you rather encounter a bear or a man?”

A light bulb moment occurred when a husband asked, “What kind of man?”.

His wife replied, “What kind of man… Sir, we won’t know what kind of man he’ll be until it’s damn late.”

Allena Hansen, an American woman who was attacked by a bear and mauled in the face, also revealed that the attack was an anomaly when you look at the statistics on attacks on women.

‘I worry much more about the human predators I occasionally encounter on the mountain than about the wild ones. When people ask me why I carry a gun on my rides, I say it’s for the drunks,” Ms. Hansen wrote on Reddit.

For the most part, men couldn’t understand why most women would rather encounter a bear.

Jonathan, from the US, said on TikTok: ‘You all act like men are scarier than bears – you don’t watch enough nature documentaries.’

JJ, an ecology student, responded, “I know a lot about bears – I’d still choose them over a strange man. In the US, there are six fatal bear attacks a year and millions of people spend time in the woods and go hiking,” she explained.

“When those attacks happen, it’s usually when someone provokes a bear, not when it’s just in its habitat.

“For the most part, if you leave them alone and mind your business, you’ll be just fine; the same cannot be said about men.”

Many women shared their opinions on the debate.

“The bear lives in the woods, the man followed me in,” someone said.

‘Every woman knows another woman who has been raped or sexually abused, but no man knows a rapist. Cognitive dissonance,” wrote another.

An American said: ‘I came across a bear on a path. Wash well. Ran into a guy near Yosemite and he followed me for hours. I hid from him for three hours, I had grass and dirt in my hair and everything.”

“My fiancé even said if it was me instead of our daughter, he would choose the bear. Because you can scare a bear away,” said another.

Elise Phillips, the deputy CEO of Domestic Violence NSW, said gender inequality was driving a male violence crisis in Australia.

“It’s when we turn a blind eye when we see disrespectful behavior, it’s when we make excuses for violence,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

‘It’s also the inequality we see around pay and the role we play in our families, how we share childcare and look after the home.

“It ensures we have equality, representation and an equal number of women in parliament and as CEOs and leaders of private sector companies.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call 1800 RESPECT or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.