As a happily married woman in her mid-30s, let me explain.

1 in 3 women are victims of violence, and I'm pretty sure the number is actually quite a bit higher. Only a few hundred women have ever been mauled by bears.

As a woman, there are very few certain methods to avoid being assaulted or harassed by humans. But bears are relatively uncomplicated and there are simple steps to avoid getting mauled that almost always work.

Now, let me get this really really clear. The question is "if you have to be in a forest with a random man or a bear". The bear is predictable, the man is not. The bear will always mind its own business and will almost always avoid you. The man might not. The man might be super nice, quite a lot of men are, but you can't know that, it's a random man. The bear is a bear, a known factor.

Almost every woman will have a story, first or second hand, where an otherwise good and trustworthy man suddenly does something unwanted. Again, most men won't, but you can't know that in advance. The bear, on the other hand, will remain a bear in all cases.

The question is not "would you prefer to be locked in a tiny cell with a man or a hungry bear". It's not "who would you rather fight?". The question is, "do you prefer a known-but-dangerous animal, or an unknown man?". And women are choosing a known and controllable quantity, over a human male they don't know and can't control for.