Should You Hold Open A Door For A Woman?

This is causing a lot of anxiety amongst men at the moment. And no wonder – some women are very offended by a man holding a door open, believing that it’s a patronising show of strength. For me, I’d say, yes, please go ahead. But what do other women, and men, think? Well let’s start with the world’s foremost woman on all things womanly. Emma Watson. “The key is that chivalry should be consensual” she told an audience at a Facebook Q&A for HeforShe. “Why not adapt the old traditions of dating rather than simply dispensing of them? “I love having the door opened for me, isn’t that just polite? Isn’t that just a nice thing to do for someone else? I love having the door opened for me and being taken to dinner. I think the key is, would you then mind if I opened the door for you in the corridor?”

We asked: Should men be holding a door open for women?

“Yes they should. There are certain gentlemanly actions that men have always performed and they should still be carried out. It’s a simple act of chivalry. In today’s society there’s such a thing about women and men’s equality but it’s different when it comes to a man just opening a door for a woman. I open doors for men. I open doors for women. It doesn’t matter. But there’s something special-and that’s why the confusion sucks-about a man opening a door for a woman. When a woman opens a door for me I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s really nice’. But when a man does that for me I’m like, ‘Oh, chivalry isn’t dead“. Marie, 28

“A hundred percent. It should be without a question. Chivalry will never go out of style“. Tanya, 30

“It’s ingrained for a man to open a door for a woman. It’s just doing a good deed for somebody. Just like I open a door for a man sometimes, I’ll open the door for a woman. It’s etiquette“. Simon, 31