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I heard a number of times here in the U.S. that some women are not comfortable, feeling inferior from men opening a door for them. So if I still lived in my country (Philippines), I wouldn’t have asked this question.  Males there are trained to be gentlemen starting from their Moms or Dads to schools.  Ladies are celebrating with these gentlemen’s showdown.  We do not feel inferior when a man opens the door for us, we feel loved.  We love it when they court us and start bringing our bags, books and/or notebooks.  This gesture can make every woman proud – to show off that this man really cares for her.  How about men?  They love it when their ladies love it.

At schools, men would always open the doors for us ladies, and let us walk in first.  With a lady teacher, a male student would rush in to open the door for us all ladies.  When we are to ride our public vehicle called jeepney or motorela and there is a male with us, even if he is a stranger, he would offer the door for us, the ladies to sit first.  A jeepney is a popular Philippine public vehicle equivalent to a passenger bus in the U.S, only it has 2 benches at left and right side for sitting, which allow a total of 16 people to sit at 8 people per side or bench. A motorela is driven by a motorcycle with a body attached to its back where passenger seat are provided with a capacity of 6-8 passengers.  And when there is no more seat left for this gentleman, he will stand up and hold the bar.  If there is one more seat for him, he is lucky, but when there is an old woman who needs to have a seat, he will offer it to her.

In walking along the street, males will walk by the side of a lady where the vehicles come passing by to secure her (in case of side swifts). Most of my life living in my country, I had been spoiled with how these Filipino gentlemen treated a woman like me, and how I appreciate their kindness to older women who need their assistance.

Most Filipino men don’t need to be told when a woman needs help.  They come to the rescue intuitively.

In the family, mothers are not allowed to carry heavy loads as much as possible.  The husband will do this, or the sons.  Otherwise, her young healthy daughters will do.

Unbelievably in the U.S., some women feel inferiority over a man when he opens a door for them that they feel obliged to do that man a favor in return, like opening a door for him when she gets a chance. I love this independence of a woman here in the U.S., but I would be happy and thank a gentleman who politely opens a door to a woman, and all other gentleman gestures there is he could offer.

Well, I have met a number of American strangers (men or women) here in the U.S who would instantly open the door for me, and I never felt inferior.  I feel happy, because I met a kind-hearted person.

Feeling inferior over a male when he begins to treat a woman like a “princess” is to me, an egoistic point of view of femininity. As the profession of sociology began, the value of being a gentleman has been confused over equal rights to gender.    I think we are all equal even if a man opens a door for a woman, unless a man begins to bear a child by himself as well.  Before the confusion of equal rights through the depth of social studies, nature had already put men and women in perfect equilibrium.  There’s nothing wrong being a gentleman, being a woman treated as a “princess”.  And I wish these species would not vanish.  I hope that Moms and Dads will not stop teaching their young men the value of politeness, and the bliss of being – A Gentleman.