"Living-Alone Girls' Lives Matter": Exploring the Security and Safety Perceptions and Practices of Young Women Living Alone in China

Increasing numbers of young women living alone face a wide range of security and safety (SS) concerns such as harassment, surveillance, and violence in today’s China. Through thematic analysis and feminist critical discourse analysis (FCDA) of SS-related posts on RedNote (n = 404), a popular social platform in China, we uncovered the SS practices of living-alone women (e.g., deploying smart home devices, improving masculinity), and how social media amplifies fears, ignites feminist debates, and exacerbates gender inequality in China. Within China’s unique socio-cultural environment—characterized by traditional gender norms, government surveillance, and the rapid adoption of surveillance technologies—we found that women’s SS concerns are commodified, shifting responsibility onto individuals rather than driving systemic reforms. As a result, patriarchal power structures remain intact, while state and legal systems fail to address the root causes of violence.