Why do women rarely hold a door open for a man?

Question

It my experience it seems that most women expect a man (stranger) to hold a door open for her.(I've gotten dirty looks when I haven't). Yet, regularly have I have experienced women thoughtlessly let doors close in my face.

Answer 1

Entitlement complex

Answer 2

I'll open the door for anyone, I don't see why someone would only open the door for women. I don't see how it'd be weird. I have noticed though that more men tend to hold the door open for people, men or women, than women hold the door open. Not saying anything but that's just what I've seen. I hate how so many people don't say thank you though, most of them do, but still.

Answer 3

I'll open and hold the door open for anyone to allow traffic to flow. If I am the first person at the door and there is someone right behind me, I'll open the door and allow them to go ahead of me. I then go through and hold the door for the next person. Maybe things are different where I am from, but that's more the norm nowadays from what I can see. You hold the door for anyone.

I don't see why this is such a big deal anymore; holding the door open for strangers should be common courtesy. I don't expect someone to open the door to let me go first, but I do certainly expect that if I am right behind them that they will keep the door open for me. Like I said, it's a courtesy thing, not a chivalry thing anymore. Of course, so is saying thank you and returning the favor for the person behind you.

Answer 4

Two men were practically in my way, standing in front of a door. Neither one made a move to open it for me. If one had, he would have gotten a smile and a "thank you."
I hold doors open as I pass for anyone, always. I'll stand and keep the door open for anyone who looks as though they could use the help.
I may try pulling the door open and holding it for the next able-bodied man I see. It is not gentlewomanly tradition to do so, but it might be worth the excitement to see how the gesture is noted. I'd hate to offend. On with the experiment.
C. :)!!

Answer 5

I don't expect men to hold the door open for me. By that I mean, if I get there first, I don't step aside while he opens the door, but if he gets there first and holds it open, then I politely say "Thank you" as I pass through.

If I get to the door first, I open the door. I hold the door open for anyone coming up behind me. Do I think people "have to" do this? No. But I think it's considerate to do so.

Answer 6

Sometimes it's good to live in the South. There just aren't any door-holding issues here. Besides very few rude exceptions, everybody holds the door for everyone and in many cases the man will hold the door open for a woman, who he lets walk in front of him. And I always say thank you for that.

As to the original question, I would feel very weird opening a door for a man and letting him walk ahead of me unless his arms were full. I think that would be very ackward even communicating the fact that he should go ahead of me.

I will say that a HUGE pet peeve is when I hold the door for someone walking in behind me and that person doesn't catch the door -- they just breeze right on in like it was their God-given right to walk through open doors. But that's just me.

Answer 7

honestly, i have had MANY men close the door in my face, and women hold it open for me. i myself hold the door open for people all the time. yes, there are the silly women who think all men should hold open doors, just as there are the silly men who would become offended and feel emasculated if a woman held the door for them. these are the same girls who expect guys to pay and the same guys who won't let girls buy a meal. they're old-fashioned and living in the past. holding the door open for a person is polite, and it's a gesture of kindness that should be unrelated to gender. i think any decent person should always hold the door for an elderly person or a man or woman carrying something or pushing a stroller; beyond that, it's discretionary who holds the door for who. no one "has to" do anything.

Answer 8

I don't know why people act like that. I hold doors for people all the time, it's just common courtesy. A lot of women are not raised in that kind of mindset, though. They are raised to believe that men should always hold doors for them, or let them have the right of way through a narrow walkway, which doesn't always happen. I know I don't give dirty looks to people if they don't hold the door...I just sigh inwardly and think "What is the world coming to?" Hopefully you enounter more poeple in your life that show common courtesy to each other!

Answer 9

Custom dictates that a man hold the door for a woman, plain and simple. Custom also dictates that the man to pay for dinner dates. As plain and as simple as all this is, customs sometimes die as time goes on and mentalities change.

Now adays women are pretty independent and most couldn't care if the door is held, or if the car door is opened and most are pretty cool with paying for their own dinner.

The custom that shouldn't die is courtesy to other people. As a woman, I don't expect a guy to go out of his way to hold a door, HOWEVER, if I am behind him, I would hope he'd do it out of being polite.

Maybe you get dirty looks sometimes, because just to be rebellious, you let the door shut on a woman who is behind you. It shouldn't be expected of you to open or hold a door for a woman, but it would be nice if you did it...

Answer 10

Some women snarl at me when I hold the door open for them. Better to treat them all as equals and not hold the door open. Especially this winter, let the door shut on them so they can stay out there a few seconds longer and tough it out.

Answer 11

I do hold a door open for anyone! I think it is bad manners to do otherwise. I don't expect anyone to open a door for me, but my husband does it anyway, just as he would for a stranger. It is more about people having manners, than a gender power issue.