That study about men expecting women to physically move out the way...

[WorkingBling]

... I thought it was an American thing. "In England, if nothing else, men have that naturally English chivalry thing going on" I thought.

Hahaha. I am 36 weeks pregnant. Bad back. Belly the size of a small whale. My ability to make quick direction changes is completely gone and frankly, even if I could turn sideways in an effort to make myself smaller, it would be a complete waste of time as clearly I'd actually double the space I take up.

And do you know what? I get bashed by a man at least twice a day on my way into and out of the City - today I had three bashes from grown men and one from a teenager where, even though the father was giving his three children a hard time for being a bit boisterous, he saw the teenager smack into me but said nothing about that to either one of us.

I've also had a few men staring me down as they approach, making it clear they expect me to move out of the way quickly. And when they do bash me, I don't even get that instinctive English apology where everyone says sorry.

The weirdest thing is that I bet some of these men would let me go first through a door or possibly give me a seat on the tube. But when walking on the pavement, I am expected to move. And move fast.

I can't believe I had never noticed it before.

If by 'City' you mean 'London', I'm not sure you can generalize to all of England. London is an international city...

DH works in the city. He's a bit short (5'7'') he often says he gets bashed on his way to work.

Not everything bad that happens is because you are a woman.

I was once trying to walk a shortish distance in London wheeling a bicycle and it got so infuriating trying to dosge out of people's ways with a bike at my side. Dh was with me with his bike and didn't seem to be having my difficulty. In the end what worked was never to look at people. If I looked over their shoulder beyond them, people got out of my way! It was a huge difference. Of course, anyone walking into my bike is going to end up the worse off but it never happened. Maybe try that. I sometimes feel like carrying a flaming torch (as in fire on a stick) about to get some bloody space.

AICM that may be true about your dh getting bashed, too. But who is doing the majority of the bashing. Is our male or female commuters. He should keep a tally over a 5 day period and see. I'd genuinely be interested.

It's men.

My point is, and I am prepared to discuss this, some men do this - some don't. The men that do it do this to anyone in their path not just women. they don't think, "A woman is coming I, as a man, I have right of way." They think , well I don't think they do think.

My point being if they do this to men and women equally are they sexist or just rude? I am prepared to accept that might point to men being ruder than women although in Guildford over the last few days I've met some very rude women in the street.

Ok I'm intrigued by this thread, I am a man and do sometimes experience bumps in the street (not all that often, I'm 6ft tall and broad of shoulder). I am a master of the awkward left, right, left awkward smile shuffle we all do.

When a bump does occur I have almost always perceived it as me bumping into them, and say sorry accordingly. The hot spots are when someone sails out of a shop, or perhaps in a shop or supermarket where people make a point of not paying attention to their peripheral vision and are travelling along a different axis, if I'm on autopilot my unconscious assumption is attention is being paid, and we'll both make minor course corrections to avoid when that doesn't happen, collision occurs reflex "sorry" is performed, and then go back to my day.

Isn't the reality that we bump into each other? All other things being equal. -age, disability, pregnancy notwithstanding as I think we should all accommodate there.

I have experimented with this. In my experience men tend to look horrified and shocked when I don't move and don't move aside until it's that or a collision.

I've been actively not jumping out of the way since I first read about this on MN.

In particular my walk to/from work takes me under a railway bridge which is also a cycle path so I like to stay against the wall so as not to be run down by silent bicycles.

It is incredible that 100% of males of all ages expect me to get out of the way. They always look quite shocked when I don't. Nobody has yet collided with me

Can anyone please link to the study?

Aqui4a - you're quite the charmer aren't you? Also interesting first post

Now jog off back under your bridge like a good boy.

I would
Tend to agree that men who do this expect everyone to move although I suspect they expect women to move more. But the point is also that women a) do not expect others to move and b) instinctively assume they will move.

Less sexism, more another example of male privilege?

Shut up, girl... Get back in the kitchen and make me a butty!

So fucking embarrassing.

I'm not necessarily convinced this is a sexism thing. A lot of people, male and female, are thoughtless shits when walking around, particularly in London. People don't tend to bump into me because I walk quite quickly and assertively but I've had two big collisions recently, neither my fault, one with a woman and one with a man. The woman tutted at me and the man called me a cunt.

I've started to do my own experiment on the same theme, Working

i don't carry a clipboard to record my findings, but on the whole, men don't move, but middle aged women tell their male partners to move while making excuses, and usually end up moving out of the way themselves.

in the younger people, NONE of them move

I discovered that when I was pg I became a non-person to arseholes men, especially besuited men. That continued to be so as long as I had a pushchair or a small child with me. If I was alone then everything was normal, I existed and men people seemed to realise that.

It's not men being sexist, it's about men having a male privileged, right to space.

i was in london today and barged into people and people barged into me. i think it's just a london too many people thing.

A LOT of men are very entitled. They've been brought up to be entitled - entitled to no clean, cook, make way for others, take all the leg room, get their orgasm and roll over etc etc etc.

But, who brought them up that way? Why are they so entitled?

Well for what's worth I'll examine my own attitudes when out and about and take corrective measures where necessary.

But I do agree, this might be a London City issue.

Oh Hai Aqui4a... back again for a tiny visit again are we?

Not good at choosing nicknames are you though, a bit thick.

This is a well known phenomenon really, and it is generally men who expect women to get out of their way. And smaller men.

I dunno, I'm genuinely not sure it's even a male privilege/entitlement thing. I think it's just a combination of common-or-garden thoughtlessness and big city lots of people.