content: You know, way back when women had no rights and were basically owned by their husbands or fathers, there was absolutely a need for chivalry and being as polite as possible to women. It was the least men could do for them to make up for having no rights.  This is the feminist party line, yes. The reality is that you're talking about a time when few people had any rights and chivalry was an integral part of the culture which supposedly denied women rights. There wasn't much in the way of equality, but that doesn't mean men had it any better.