Practicing martial arts can save your life. So can swimming.
Or jogging, or biking, or aerobics. Or rowing. Or soccer. Or basketball. Or interpretive dance.
About a decade ago I searched for articles on martial arts and self defense at a University library and couldn’t locate any. So as far as I know, research regarding the OP is thin on the ground. There are some more general findings though. In their review of the literature, O’Neal and Kaiser (2015) note the following:
Researchers generally agree that active rape resistance is effective for evading the completion of rape… Whereas fighting, fleeing, and screaming are all linked to a decreased likelihood of rape completion, less active verbal strategies such as reasoning, pleading, and crying, are associated with a higher likelihood of rape completion…
However:
Unlike the largely consistent findings regarding resistance and rape avoidance, research results regarding the effect of resistance on injury avoidance is mixed. …
Some research has found that protective action during sexual assault increases the likelihood a victim will suffer an injury… , and some scholars have argued that forceful resistance is useless and sometimes dangerous … [but] Findings that indicate a positive relationship between rape resistance and injury may tell an incomplete story, as such research does not establish the sequencing of events; it is unclear whether rape resistance actions preceded or followed the suspect’s infliction of injury [and] studies have also found that resistance reduces injury …and some have found no significant effects.
Emphasis added. Consequences might also differ depending upon whether the victim knows the perp, or whether the situation is stranger-danger, on average. God damn it, we need to figure this out. From Resistance Strategies and Sexual Assault Outcomes: Do Measurement Decisions Influence Empirical Findings?
That’s some pretty mixed evidence I’d say.
So what’s my takeaway? Having options is a good thing. Boys often learn how to throw punches. Woman -who generally have much more demanding self-defense challenges, assuming they’re not looking for trouble- are less likely to be exposed to informal training. So I would recommend a 2-4 hour self defense course (where you learn that punches are overrated) and get a chance to practice some effective techniques. That would take an afternoon.
Taking it up a notch model mugging self defense uses heavily padded instructors so participants can practice at full force against their attackers (generally with knees and elbow strikes). Basic courses can take place over 3 days. Recommended.
You can also join a dojo. That will help with fitness and therefore improve life expectancy. In the dojo I attend, the self-defense component is taught separately from the sparring component. Techniques that work best for sport are different than techniques focused on battle. I’m a little dubious about being trained to be a great fighter: personally I’d rather use my voice and be a great retreater, a master at hand-over-my-wallet-jutsu. For example. But I’m a dude who is above school age and outside of law enforcement or the military.