DEAR MISS MANNERS: Usually when I walk around school or in public, men are always opening doors for me and letting me go first. I guess they do it out of respect for women.
Now, if I open the door and another woman is about to walk through, should I let her go first and hold the door for her, or should I go first?
GENTLE READER: One holds the door for ladies (if a gentleman), those older than oneself, and people for whom opening the door would be a burden.
This latter group includes everything from someone struggling with a heavy package to wheelchair users, although in the latter case, etiquette also demands careful attention to the sensibilities of the beneficiary -- who may not appreciate a too-cavalier assumption of inability. Being a woman, and assuming that the other woman is your own age and unencumbered, you may proceed to enter. Miss Manners would not press the point if a collision is the likely result.
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)