"Give me your number."
"Put your number in my phone."
Those are not questions. They are statements, and they are rude, demanding, and aggressive. It may seem harmless, but a man's approach can make a woman feel uncomfortable and pressured. If she politely declines, firmly declines, or rudely declines, she has no idea how the individual will respond.
No woman should feel the slightest bit of discomfort about saying no thank you to a request for her contact information, but all too often, we do. Women don't give out fake numbers to be jerks. The statistics prove that girls and women have to be vigilant.
"61% of female stalking victims are stalked by someone they know."
-National Center for Victims of Crimes
"1 in 6 women have been stalked during their lifetime" -CDC
"1 in 5 women will be raped at some point in their lives." -National Sexual Violence Resource Center
"3 out of 4 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim" -RAINN
"1 in 4 women have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner" -CDC
"Nearly half of female victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner" -CDC
It's that serious. The violence perpetrated against women by men makes it serious and frankly scary. Be respectful. Be considerate. Most of all be gentlemen who respect a woman's right to say no about anything from giving out her number to engaging in sex.
