Abstract

This article examines urban women’s personal security in digital environments, focusing on its principal dimensions and variations across selected participant characteristics. Based on a survey of 246 women in Yen Hoa Ward, Hanoi, the study identifies three dimensions: self-protection capacity and perceived digital safety (F1); privacy and personal data protection practices (F2); and digital risks, harassment, and feelings of insecurity (F3). These dimensions are associated differently with the characteristics examined. Self-rated digital skills are clearly associated with self-protection capacity and privacy and personal data protection practices. Age-related differences are concentrated in privacy and personal data protection practices, whereas no statistically significant differences are observed by educational level. Digital risks, harassment, and feelings of insecurity also show no statistically significant differences according to digital skills or age. The findings indicate that women’s personal security in digital environments is multidimensional: advantages in individual capabilities do not necessarily correspond to greater safety across all dimensions.

Keywords: Digital safety, digital skills, personal security, privacy, urban women.