Where Has Male Chivalry Gone?

I was quite offended by the attitude expressed by Gloria Aguirre in her letter (March 30), complaining that men on buses should be giving their seats to women to preserve “male chivalry.”

I agree that someone should give up a seat to help a pregnant woman or a woman holding a baby, but you will notice that no women gave up their seats for these people either. In addition, I rarely see a woman help a man with a heavy load, hold a door for a man in a wheelchair, or give up her bus seat for an elderly man. People should help each other because they care about their fellow human beings, not just because of some gender stereotype.

The code of chivalry was created in the Middle Ages, when women were considered helpless “damsels in distress.” This is exactly the kind of image that modern women have fought to change. As a result, women are now being taken seriously in traditionally male occupations. Equal treatment, however, requires equal expectations. Most women do expect to be treated equally, and I have inadvertently insulted some by offering “chivalrous” treatment.

With attitudes like Aguirre’s, women will forever be treated as helpless. If an employer feels that a woman cannot stand on the bus simply because she is female, how can he expect her to be a productive employee? I am glad to see that most women on the bus prefer to take a stand--and stand!

ROGER K. WEISS

Tarzana