is holding a door open sexist, should i let it close in her face?

Question

ok i hold a door open for male or female if i notice there hands are full or they are pushing a pushchair - specifically i mean when they have no reason they can't re-open the door for themselves and i could of not waited the minute it took for them to arrive

as a side issue have you noticed how few peopole say thank you for holding the door open

Answer 1

Oh door holding! These are my personal rules for holding doors open:
1) If the next person after me is close enough that they would be hit by the door if I don't hold it, I will hold it.
2) If their hands are full or for some reason they will not be able to open the door themselves, I will hold it.
3) If they are more than a few seconds behind me, far enough that they will not be hit by the closing door, I will not hold it.
4) I always say "thank you" to people who hold the door for me.

My college was big on holding doors open. People would stand holding doors for like 30 seconds while the next person walked up, or sometimes people would speed up to catch the door. I hate when people do this - I don't want to walk any faster, but I feel obligated to speed up for the person holding a door for me..!

Anyway, to answer your question, holding a door is not sexist, and in fact should be done for both men and women, when the situation warrants (i.e., someone will get hit in the face by the closing door).

Answer 2

It is considerate and mannerly and safety conscious to hold the door open for anyone, whether they have packages or not. It is rude and dangerous to let a door go shut just as someone is stepping up to it. I've had doors shut in my face, and I 've been hurt by a couple. And it really is not nice when the slammer is looking back laughing.
Same rule for an elevator, you should hold it open for someone hurrying to catch it, people shove their arms and legs between closing doors, and can get hurt, a visitor where I work tried to push the door back open, and fell and broke her hip.
And I always thank someone for holding a door for me, no matter how many doors there are." Thank you, again " is correct. I go to a certain store a lot, and the clientele is older. The men hold the door for me, they wait even if I am still several feet from the door. One man told me to slow down when I rushed to get there so he would not be inconvenienced, and one man looked so surprised when I said thank you.
And Ladies, it isn't all the men, I have had way more women let the door shut in my face than men!

Answer 3

I always hold the doors open, male or female. I would feel rude otherwise. Obviously, I am a female, but I always appreciate it when someone holds the door open for me. I don't think that has anything to do with equal rights.

And yes, I HAVE noticed how few people say thank you these days when you hold the door open. I was just having this conversation with a friend yesterday. People sure are crappy.

Answer 4

I think holding the door open is polite and everyone should always do it-- it's just good form. So, well done for not acting like a common neanderthal. I wish everyone was as considerate as you are. I too will hold the door open, if someone else is entering a premise behind me, and I'm a woman. Your sex shouldn't be the issue, common courtesy towards all people should be.

Anyone who doesn't bother with 'thanking you' for your courtesy is a pig. Nevertheless, I say 'rise above it' and keep being the well-mannered guy that you are and continue setting a good example.

Answer 5

As a female I expect men to hold doors open for me. When they don't I no longer consider them to be men. Men have manners, they know how to treat people properly.

And yes, if a door has been held open for you the very least you can say is "thank you". It doesn't matter if you think this person is being sexist or not - they took the time to show you some courtesy so show some back!

Answer 6

Holding the door for whoever is behind you is polite. I'd say it's inconsiderate to let it close in their face, regardless of whether it's a man or a woman. I don't see anyting sexist about holding the door open.

I always hold the door open for the person behind me and if I see someone approaching who has their hands full or who I think might have problems opening the door by themselves, I wait till they get to the door and hold it open for them.

I don't pay much attention to whether they thank me or not. I don't really care whether they do, to me it's just common consideration to hold the door open and even if they don't thank me I don't think about it. Hearing the word "thanks" for such a small thing isn't all that important to me. I myself usually say it though, although there are times when I'm just absent-minded and forget it.

Answer 7

Holding a door open for those reasons is polite, if a woman or man had hands free you could let the door close on their face, but if you're polite you'll hold it open no matter what and deal with any tutting you get from old ladies, that's all I get, oh and the very rare thankyou, but I'm female so it might be different.

Answer 8

The fact that they don't say "Thank you" just shows their ignorance.

Sounds to me that you're a well bought up man with good manners.

I hold doors open if I see someone struggling whether they be male or female.

It's not sexist, it's polite and should be encouraged.

There are too many rude people in today's society.

Answer 9

Holding open door is not sexist, it is as many people have said just good manners, I personally open doors for anyone regardless of sex if they have there hands full or are just behind me as i go through a door.

Have had a woman go off her head at me for opening a door for her claiming i only did it to undermine her rights as a woman,
i just smiled and said my pleasure, and walked away and heard people giving her a hard time over it.

There will always be someone that isn't happy to be helped.

I still open doors for people... lol

Answer 10

It's not sexist, it's polite.

If you're talking about random people entering or exiting a building, I'm pretty sure you live in a big, busy city and peple are just too self indulged or busy to notice a polite gentleman holding the door open for them. I know for a fact here where I live, you wouldn't have that problem.

If you're talking about your girlfriend/wife; that's a bit more complicated. She might not be used to being a with a polite man; so it might take a little while getting used to it.

Regardless of your situation, keep it up. We need more polite, considerate individuals in this world!