Men DO NOT have right of way!

This is my tactic for the aforementioned pairs of women, for boorish men, and for cyclists on the pavement. And don’t make eye contact. Eye contact seems to be perceived as a tacit agreement that you’ll get out of their way.

All those women you think are refusing to shift have noticed it too and have decided to hold their line like you….

Yes, and despite the 'women do it too' protestations it is nearly always men.

Patriarchy swimming is a thing, too.

Yes, this is real and I also stand my ground where appropriate.

Not just men, but often men.

Also in cars/van, they expect me to capitulate and let them in when they’ve queue jumped or are just barging their way in. They picked the wrong woman there, I don’t give an inch, beep and deliberately laugh at them. Oh their faces. Highly satisfying, almost makes the commute enjoyable.

Stop.

I discovered that if you stand still in a crowd, or when a group is coming towards you, then people mostly go round you, if you are moving then you get jostled. I can't work out why, but it generally works that way.

Oh my god - I had never considered this and am one of the most upfront, gobby women I know, fully paid up feminist etc… but I did NOT realise how much I move out of the way for people. Now that I’m aware of it, it is shocking! Well from now on, fuck them - I’m going to be bulldozing my way through every street and pathway.

Is this not just then you barging past everyone on account of some perceived slight?
Sounds like my mum, who is not a nice person.

I live in an area which is known for fashion. You can tell the locals because we don't bother to dress up to walk down the street. In my 20s, if I was wearing drab clothes the girls who were there to be seen would expect me to get out of their way, and so too, occasionally, would camp young men. Both groups would glare if I didn't make way for their fabulousness.

Now no one does to me, so I must be in a sweet spot of perceived age and style.

But I have seen this behaviour towards my mother who uses a cane and she will sometimes let it hit the ankles of a barge -arse when they storm past, and towards my MIL who will give them a right telling off, which always surprises them because she has a strong voice like a posh radio announcer which carries very well, and embarrasses most men who do it.

At a basic biology level, it very much is about breeding. Men don’t find women sexually attractive once they have outlived their usefulness. That’s WHY they don’t like how women look after a certain age. Grey hair, changes in body shape/skin etc. So they don’t have any base drive to pander to you anymore. Obviously there are many men who don’t behave like this, but I think they are often the exception that proves the rule.

Not had this whilst out and about but I get it in the swimming pool ALOT. It drives me absolutely nuts. Older men who just swim at me or who I am faster than but won’t give way, it’s just rude. (And yes, I’ll be in the right lane for the speed I’m swimming)

Walking to school one day with my 12 yo son.
Two men walking towards us taking up whole path.
My son moved onto the wet grass to avoid being trampled over (he's a tiny kid)
I told him to never lower himself by stepping in dirt for someone else.
Yes, we can go single file but do not walk on dirt for other people.

It boiled my blood that day that they had absolutely no consideration for other people walking on the path.

It’s a phenomenon, for sure. In fairness, though, I probably play more pavement chicken with pairs of women, each with a double buggy, walking abreast and chatting, who seem to assume I’ll be delighted to walk into the road and possibly the path of a bus so that they don’t have to pause their conversation and go single file for five seconds.
Reader, they always get a surprise.

They have right of way in the swimming pool too. Boils my piss. (That's very bad language for me).

Love the thread very funny.
I'm nearly six foot, blonde and busty. I do walk with a stick so normally that would put me at a disadvantage but men don't know where to look (clue they're looking at my boobs) so I get all the courtesy. Cyclists no, I tell them they're breaking the law if they cycle on the pavement. I usually get told to fuck off. I respond equally with my home counties accent. Great fun.

“Packs” like that don’t seem to think at all. I suppose they’re all assuming someone else in their pack will go into single file, but in the end none of them do. I used to get out of their way but I’m too old to care anymore so I stand my ground to one side of the path where I always walk, and almost enjoy their shocked looks when they finally realise they’ll have to move into narrower formation!

Yes! Expecting me to step into the road rather than go single file for three seconds!

Even worse they think their bell is not 'I am a bicycle behind you' but 'Get the fuck out of my way'.

I used to push my dad round in his wheelchair and it was astonishing how many people wouldn't move. I can't move out of the way so easily you fucking 🔔🔚. I was deadly with it. Took no prisoners. My dad found it hilariously thankfully, even though he was used as something of a battering ram for rude people!

Im a little grey haired women and i often get offered seats, my friend said she is now being offered seats on the train,by all ages and sexes.

I agree. Keep left would be common sense as it’s how we drive. It’s also common sense as it works better on pavements alongside roads, if you keep left your further away from traffic heading the same way as you, and closer to road if your on the side of traffic approaching you so could move away if you saw danger approaching or to avoid being splashed in the wet. It’s what my parents taught me in the 70s. And what OHs parents taught him in the 70s in a different county, so it was definitely a thing, maybe from public information films in cinemas? I also remember keep left signs in my secondary school corridors and staircases. I think I’ve also seen signs on railway station staircases. Shame it’s not more widely accepted these days.

I have this with all humans! Just said to DH last week I was making a conscious effort to hold my ground from now on.

I noticed this massively when I was in Melbourne but it wasn’t just men that did it. I hadn’t spent much time in big cities before so I thought it was just a thing people did as if you start moving out of people’s way, you’ll be doing it non stop.

I have noticed that men are more likely to let me out at junctions while driving than women though.

True. And on London tube you stand on the right and people overtake on the left.

I'm mid 30s, but I've noticed the opposite at work. The men in their mid 40s onwards are far more likely to be the ones who hold the door open and wait if a woman is coming regardless of the womans age, or say you first if we wait for them as they were there first, whereas the younger men will generally just go through. Not always, but the older men seem far more polite.
Public is a different matter and far more seem to just barge through.

Same! I notice men do it a lot more but I notice it a lot with the younger generation too. I also pay attention to how men move around others and oddly the best group (male and women) I’ve noticed who actually move out the way of others seems to be the 25-45 age range. Under 25 ish seems to be an issue both genders and over 45 is men 😆 My gran would run a man over on her scooter and I plan to be an older lady with a stick lol!