Well-mannered young men are taught to let a lady pass in front of them.
But is this really polite?
I had a boss many years ago, an older, charasmatic Englishman who seemed straight out of a Dickens novel. Once when we were taking an escalator on the way to a meeting, he told me a story.
Years earlier, he was approaching the bottom of an escalator at the same time as a woman. She was just ahead of him, so he sped up and jumped in front of her just as she approached the first step. As he rushed by, he saw her flash him a look of anger. After a moment’s pause, he calmly turned around with a smile and said: “A real gentleman walks in front of a lady on an escalator. Down for protection, and up for modesty”.
She instantly smiled.
Now THAT is a real gentleman.