Yes, I meant *not 100%* and went back and changed it. Thanks!
A compliment is at it's heart, a show of respect, and catcalls are not that. They are a way to exert dominance over women, remind them that they are on earth for the pleasure and enjoyment of men as sexual objects, force them to give their attention to the catcaller, etc. Of course, all of that is largely subconscious but that doesn't make it an actual compliment because there is no respect present. Even just making a woman turn her head to see where the comments are coming from is exerting a small, temporary control over her.
Pervasive ongoing sexual harassment in public spaces is more than a burden to women. It begins for most girls around age 10 and can create a lot of psychological damage to constantly have your body commented upon by strangers any time that you are in public. There are women who alter their travel routes to avoid places where they expect to experience it, and one never knows if or when it will escalate from just words to following, groping, assualt or rape. That means a sort of constant vigilence as well as a disconnection from one's own body that most men have no concept of or experience with. Please don't minimize this just because you don't really understand it.
This doesn't mean that men are reprehensible as a demographic. It means that a social system based in domination has taught men that this is one of the ways to prove their masculinity. The fact that harassment increases when men are in groups confirms this, as each man vies for place in the pecking order via objectifying and dominanting the woman or girl. It's a dynamic that really needs to be interrupted and France actually went so far as to outlaw it. Whether or not that is an effect measure, at least it sends the signal that it is not socially acceptable.
“For example, an individual may receive one cat-call on their walk to work. In isolation, this could be an unpleasant and mildly stressful event, or may not have any bearing on that person’s day. However, should that experience of a mild stressor occur every day for months or years, then it becomes a chronic source of stress that can negatively impact mental health.” (The Biochemist)
