Women Strive for Equality in the Workplace
Taking on Business Etiquette has Caused Chivalry to Disappear
Many women began refusing chivalrous acts when trying to become equals within the workplace. In turn this seems to have transferred over to casual settings as well. Newer generations of women have no idea what it’s like to have a door opened or a chair pulled out for them.
The workplace has changed because of movements like women rights and power suits establishing dominance in the workforce, which encouraged women to be a lot stronger.
Women's Leadership Workshop Explains New Business Etiquette
Leslie Sue Lieberman Ph.D. the Director of Women’s Research Center at the University of Central Florida said that after attending a Women’s Leadership Workshop, she found out that in today’s business world, “default etiquette is male etiquette.”
Meaning that etiquette in the business world has changed. Women are now expected to act in the same manner as a man in a business setting.For example, when a man and woman are both heading for a door, instead of the man opening it, whoever gets to the door first would open it.
It use to be that when a person was going around a table and shaking people’s hands only the men would stand and shake their hand, where the women would stay seated. In today’s business world the proper etiquette is for both men and women to stand and shake hands.
Not to get anyone confused, this etiquette is used in a business setting. That’s what the whole workshop Lieberman attended was about, teaching women the appropriate etiquette for business settings. “There are different standards and different expectations compared from business to a social setting,” Lieberman said.
In a social setting, do men feel like they don’t have to practice chivalry or do most men still want to be a gentleman?
Father and Son Compare Generations
A generation gap can cause people to think differently about this situation. Greg Tuck and Crosby Tuck, a father and son from Arkansas, said they both regularly open doors for people when entering a building.
Crosby said that he doesn’t think chivalry is nearly as important as it use to be, but Greg disagrees.
“Women think they don’t care, but when it is done to them they feel more important and it shows that the man cares,” Greg said and then encourages his son to try a few chivalrous acts toward his girlfriend.
Bloggers ask, "Is Chivalry Dead?"
The question, “is chivalry dead?” was asked on Yahoo! Answers. Responses like, “Chivalry isn’t dead, it’s just not appreciated” and “I would not say dead, it’s just hiding under a rock,” came from bloggers who tried to answer this question.
The truth is women have continually tried to make themselves equal in social and business settings by refusing chivalrous acts in turn men have got out of the habit of offering a hand or opening the car door. Newer generations have not been taught these skills causing chivalry to fall by the waste side.
Hand Shake in Business Setting
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