PATRIARCHY CHICKEN

[BettyTips]

I read this sociological research where the researchers observed a busy high street and noted which sex was more likely to move out of the way to avoid colliding in the street. It was overwhelmingly the women who moved and the men who kept walking on straight.

I was a bit bemused and naively presumed that in a real life situation the men would actually move when it came to the crunch. So for the last two days i've been playing patriarchy chicken.

Basic premise is that you just dont move. Keep your head up and keep on walking. I've been shoulder barged twice. Once by a man who looked entirely shocked and bewildered to see a woman blocking his path.

If you're feeling a bit bored today, go and play and come back with your results tonight!

Ahh I noticed this last year but everyone I told about it thought I was bonkers!! I’m so glad it’s an actual thing! And yes I occasionally play the game too - usually end up being bashed .

Yep it’s true someone posted it on Facebook and a man said well if you want equality accept you’ll get barged into! I asked why men don’t bump into each other continually and equality would mean they shouldvasprosch as pass everyone in the manner they would for other males. I think in most cases women move because blokes are bigger and we are programmed to step aside not to get knocked over by someone bigger and burliest.

I play this too when I remember, it’s brilliant!

Unfortunately , there is always a threat though isn't there. If you don't move , will you get abuse ( physical or verbal )

I mentioned this on a Facebook forum a few months ago but was basically shouted down as it being rubbish...I did notice not one of the people challenging what I said came back later to tell me if it was true for them after they tried it. (They didn't need to tell me as I already know the answer, it's true!). I also mentioned it at the time to my husband and he said he always moved out of the way for people, proved that wrong the next time we went out together!!

I did this.

I got yelled at

Still do it. Fuck off you dont have to walk in 2s every second drop back single file and theres room for both of us!

Yep, the other day in the park. 4 people taking up the whole of the path - woam on the far side from me, three man taking up the rest of the path. He didn’t move for my DD on the bike (bikes allowed in that path) and he didn’t move for me. I bumped in to him after I saw him making no attempt to kove for DD. He kept looking straight at me too as I was approaching!

I tend to move for elderly, groups or mothers with prams but not for healthy young adult people or adult men. Most move out of the way. Occasionally there’s a bit of a dance but I wait patiently for them to move.

Was just thinking about this a moment ago, when a man purposely moved out of my way. Doesn't often happen!

I've been shoulder barged more than once, and never by a woman.

I played this yesterday, except it was a M/F couple.

Pavement comfortably wide for 2 to pass, but not 3.

Man was on the far side, so she was in the middle of us. I did the usual polite show of holding my bag in front of me but she made zero attempt to move whatsoever.

I braced for impact. At the very last moment she tucked behind her companion. He of course didn't adjust his path for a second.

sounds like she was playing the game too!

Oh I love this, I've played it on and off for years. DH has also noticed how much more I (5'2") weave around than 6'2" him.

My favourite part is when they don't realise you're doing it. When I'm braced for the collision, weakling little me can win against some much bigger men.

An interesting corollary happens when we add the pram though -people are more likely to get out of my way when and help me through doors etc, no one ever helps DH.

I'm currently on the tube about to get off. I'll be playing. Wish me luck.

You need to stare into the middle distance, don’t make eye contact. That’s what men do, I’ve observed.

And yes, I move for anyone older than me, parents with young children or buggies, anyone carrying children or another heavy load, pregnant women , anyone who appears disabled or moving with didficulty or significantly slower than me.

I’ve had a few shoulder hits but never a full on collision. And not been shouted at, just a few FFS. All from men, all were younger than me.

Amd in Longleat house gardens - a teenager was walking on a path - my DD moved for him ( 7yo), I fucking didn’t. He shouted after us - he was with his parents. Well done.

People seem to miss the idea that a path is invisibly divided in half - people go one way in one half, and the others need the other half to get through

I move for women too usually, but not men. As well as pp said, elderly, children, buggies, wheelchairs etc.

Interesting. I will have to pay attention to this.

I gave it a try this morning and every single man moved and two turned back to hold a door for me. But I was on the school run at what Mumsnet would call "naice" private schools so not an entirely representative sample.

I've noticed this too. I actually complained loudly to my mum that when I walk down a busy street I feel like I'm completing a bloody slalom or assault course because I have to dart and weave around everyone and their granny, but she told me it was all in my head

I’m single, do most of my walking about single, and echo what PP said about couples and groups also being impervious to sharing when confronted with (ie entirely ignoring as insignificant) a single person on the same path.

Ooh I started playing this game last year, to prove a point to my husband. I like the name of the game!

I noticed I was always expected to move or was forever apologising to men for them bumping into me. My husband didn't notice but commented on my ninja ability to walk through a crowd with minimal touching (annoyingly he is one of those people who will just walk straight past someone taking a photo, a habit I'm trying to break him of)

I asked him to take note of how many men just walk straight at me and he was surprised once he took notice. So now I play chicken with them and carry on as I am. The little looks of annoyance I get make me smile. I even built up the courage to call a male member of staff out in Morrison's for barging past my trolley and it hurting me. I asked if he was going to apologise and he said "gosh, sorry I didn't notice I had bumped you". Small victories and that.

I play on the part of my journey to work where I'm forced into it by a combination of walking against the tide of commuters and vehicle traffic direction. Personally I don't find men worse then women. My most recent full on shoulder barge was with a woman.

Where I do it, it's because otherwise I end up stepping into traffic I can't see, when I walk the other direction at the end of the day I don't mind stepping off the pavement if it's safe to do so, as I can see the oncoming traffic.

I do this, but I tend to look them full in the face and smile, so they have to make a conscious decision not to move if you know what I mean? I've usually got a buggy /small child with me though so I'm probably skewing my own statistics.

I've done this in the past, but it's just too dangerous. I got bellowed at by a man when I didn't move out of his way when he was wandering along engrosed in his phone and barged into and knocked into the road by another man who was clearly afflicted by the double sense of entitlement that comes from both being a man and a high earner in London - well I assume that was the case - he was smartly dressed in what looked like an expensive suit and it was somewhere near Canary Wharf. He just walked at me and just about knocked me over because obviously I didn't behave as he expected me to by stepping aside to let him passed as he was obviously Far More Important than me.

Haha I've been playing this game for years! I'm 5'10" and bad tempered which helps. Why the fuck should I move every time?
I did notice an interesting variation on this theme when pregnant mind you. When I was slim and non pregnant, I would usually have doors opened for me by charming men. Once I had a visible bump, it was as if I was invisible. Not only would they barge in front of me, they would literally let the door swing back into me on their way. Quite amazing. So I would usually say loudly, 'after you'. Fuckers.