# Women - are you offended when a man tries to shake your hand? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714 "2016-06-29T16:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/41 "2016-07-01T20:06:55Z")
> [@Commodore](#): > > Another who put forward his left hand, I brushed it aside and got up him directly. So, because a guy tried to shake your left hand you had sex with him? That’s an odd custom. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/42 "2016-07-01T20:48:31Z")
Dear God. I bypass all this bullshit and offer _my_ to men I meet. It’s a handshake, not anal. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/43 "2016-07-01T22:15:35Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > Dear God. I bypass all this bullshit and offer _my_ to men I meet. It’s a handshake, not anal. Your WHAT? My stars and garters, is it something depraved? ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/44 "2016-07-02T04:48:46Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Your WHAT? My stars and garters, is it something depraved? Dammit. I’ve got to quit posting when I’m in a hurry. I’ll leave what I offer to anyone as an exercise for the discerning reader. ---
**Author:** ![Commodore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Commodore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commodore)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/45 "2016-07-02T05:15:41Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > So, because a guy tried to shake your left hand you had sex with him? That’s an odd custom. No he offered his left hand, a inbreed ! ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/46 "2016-07-02T21:00:01Z")
In a similar thread about men being offended (or not) by a woman holding open a door: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=797178](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=797178) I mentioned that I was a product of the '70s (“women’s lib”) and will try to be gender neutral in all of my dealings with people. Until reading this thread, I never even knew that there was a possible hand-shaking issue. (I’m a 57 year old guy btw). Nonetheless, in any introduction to a woman in a professional setting I offer a handshake to women and they don’t seem surprised or taken aback (in fact they have never waited, they’ve produced their hand like anyone else). In a social setting, if it’s a first time or someone I’m not close to, I’ll shake hands and, again, there’s no weird reaction or hesitation etc. If she’s a friend then two kisses if I’m in Quebec or a hug in the rest of Canada. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/47 "2016-07-04T08:06:54Z")
I can’t imagine why on earth it would offend me. I really like it. Especially a firm, sincere handshake. Makes me feel more like this is a person, accepting me as a person. You know, more straightforward. ---
**Author:** ![Adoschtinad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Adoschtinad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoschtinad)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/48 "2016-07-04T10:12:45Z")
A Swedish green wing politician got kicked out of his party when he refused to shake a female reporters hand. His name was Yasri Khan and the green party here will never fully recover I think. To me it would seem very strange not to shake someones hand the first time i met them. You can tell a lot by a handshake. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/49 "2016-07-04T22:11:21Z")
I prefer to use the old fashioned protocol - a woman offers her had first if she desires to shake hands. I dislike being touched because frequently I have pain issues [arthritis] that I didn’t have when younger … so it all depends if I am having a good or bad body day, and if I am in a wheelchair or on crutches. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/50 "2016-07-04T23:36:31Z")
Once upon meeting a cow-orker’s wife I held out my hand, but she pulled back, aghast. I had not realized that she being a Muslim, I was unclean. Or she was unclean. Or we were both unclean and risking a lifetime curse (possibly extending to untold future generations). It’s just not safe to allow me out in public. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Lisaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lisaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisaren)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/51 "2016-07-05T01:12:43Z")
If you extend your hand fora shake, please do not offer me the limp half finger shake so many men seem to do when shaking hands with a woman. I would rather you keep that to yourself. Otherwise hand shake is fine. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714/52 "2016-07-05T06:29:00Z")
I’m fine with handshakes, held doors and offered seats, as long as nobody tries to make me sit when I don’t want to. That really annoys me! I have unusually large hands for a woman and they are very strong thanks to work and guitar. They are, however, often injured. I try not to grasp to hard. I seem to surprise a lot of guys! . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-are-you-offended-when-a-man-tries-to-shake-your-hand/758714.md?page=2)