Chivalry is dead. These days, women hold their own doors, drive their own cars, even step over their own rain puddles. Contrary to popular belief, this newfound independence emerges not from a lack of well-mannered men, but instead from a pervasive social mindset of equality between the genders. In a world where women are quickly becoming breadwinners, running companies, and occupying independent roles in society, the role of chivalry is quickly diminishing. Chivalry is on its way out, and with it, the misogynistic mindset that underlays it.

For centuries, women have been regarded as delicate, feeble creatures. From unwanted arranged marriages to exclusion from sports and even the denial of the right to vote, women have been considered emotionally, physically, and mentally inferior to men since the agricultural revolution. Over time, women have dispelled these stereotypes and proven themselves more than capable, but chivalry itself acted as a major obstacle along the way. The facade of treating women kindly by paying for dates, speaking softly around them, and performing manual labor for them only justifies the misogynistic mindset of considering women as lesser individuals, as objects rather than people.

This is seen still in the modern day between heterosexual partners. The expectations that men pay for dates, drive the car, and do yard work are small gifts of reconciliation that do not come near to making up for the injustices of inequality in the workplace, home life, and day to day interactions such as sexual harassment and cat-calling. When it comes to relations between men and women in the modern day, we still have a long way to go. We should abandon chivalry, and embrace an honest and fair treatment of women in society.

With the decline of chivalry, women are increasingly treated less like porcelain dolls and more like what they truly are- people. One shouldn’t hold the door for a woman simply because she is a woman, or because she is young, or attractive, or any other objective characteristic. One should hold the door simply because it is the right thing to do- to help a fellow person.