Why do some people think it's sexist to expect females to act like ladies?

Question

Isn't being a lady just the female equivalent of a male being a gentleman?

Answer 1

'Some people' are DIM WITS!  Most females need to behave like a female and males need to behave like males.

Answer 2

It would be equally "sexist" to expect a man to act "like a gentleman". These old customs have just fallen out of favor for both genders. 

Answer 3

Context is necessary. Are we speaking of a social context in which ladies precede gentleman into the dining room? Or in a business context in which gender neutrality should prevail? 

Answer 4

Because the rules for what is ladylike are much, much more strict and unfair than the rules for what is gentlemanlike.  And if a woman breaks one of those rules, she is called a slut or some other insulting name, whereas if a man breaks one of his rules, no one seems to care.

Answer 5

Being a lady OR a gentleman means simply being aware and thoughtful of others, and never to make someone else uncomfortable if you can possibly avoid it.

Answer 6

I would think that what is meant is to act like a mature adult. If we are talking about someone who is trans - maybe I can see the point for some righteous disagreement if the person saying this is ignoring their pronoun preferences. But other than that, it is a reasonable expectation to expect certain standards of behavior from people. 

Answer 7

To my mind, yes. But other people may mean different things by "lady", and some people's concept of it is certainly sexist. (If you've read "Gone With the Wind", you'll recall that Scarlett's second husband didn't like it that she was good at math.)

Answer 8

cause they dont want to act like ladies

Answer 9

Because it implies more than just displaying good manners.  For example its ok for a gentleman to sit with his legs spread, but not for a lady.

Answer 10

I think it's just that you shouldn't really expect anyone at all to 'act' in an arbitrarily defined way.  What is a 'lady'?  What is a 'gentleman'?  I'm sure that everyone has a different idea of what those words mean.