Women are voicing frustration over men who refuse to move aside on pavements, parks and shopping malls, with the habit being labelled as 'entitled' and 'rude'. Rather than stepping to the side or adjusting their stride, some men show little concern for the women they might barge into, according to accounts shared on social media.
Sharing her experience on TikTok, @aliicee_268 said: 'I was body checked by a grown middle-aged man because I didn't step into the road to give him the entire pavement to himself.' Another user, @E3, added: 'I've gotten barged by so many men for not moving out the way first.'
Why the behaviour may be getting worse
Some theorise this inconsiderate behaviour has actually been 'getting worse' over the years. The Covid era has been blamed, with a trickle-down effect of the lack of socialisation and community. Others say it's our phones' fault, insisting that we must all be too deep in Hinge to notice who's right in front of us.
City streets are also just busier. According to TfL data, the number of pedestrians on London's streets has steadily increased over the years. In 2022 to 2023, walking accounted for 39% of all trips taken by London residents. That, however, gives no man a hall pass to treat the city's pavements like his own personal runway.
Women fight back with 'patriarchy sidewalk chicken'
In retaliation, a lot of women have started putting their foot down — literally — playing a game they call 'patriarchy sidewalk chicken'. Having lived in London for over four years, Sophie Alcock, 27, was 'sick to death' of men constantly ramming into her rather than simply stepping to the side.
'I'd seen an Instagram reel where a girl was encouraging other women to stay on course, hold their ground, and force the man approaching them to move out of the way,' she said. 'I started trying it myself and quickly realised "omg, these men really do just expect women to move". I was shoulder barged so many times just trying to prove a point.'
She tells Metro that, 'depending on how bolshy and safe' she's feeling, she'll always just keep walking nowadays. 'I'd say around 90% of the time I will always crash into someone if I don't move out of the way myself.'
Equally angry about the state of the UK's pavements, author and activist Ellen Jones, who lives in Margate after moving from London, tells Metro she was regularly 'slammed into' in the city. Meanwhile, Josie de Kock, 27, was once verbally assaulted by a man on Oxford Street after she crashed into him, having decided to also take a stand.
'I'd clocked him quite a while off and hoped that as he got closer he'd realise I was on the right side of the path and move over. But no, he crashed straight into me and then proceeded to tell me to "f*** off!" because I'd been in his way', she shares.
What the experts say
Psychologist Emma Kenny explains: 'Women are socialised to anticipate other people, accommodate them and avoid confrontation, whereas men can be more accustomed to occupying space without consciously considering who will adjust,' she tells Metro. 'However, we shouldn't turn a recognisable experience into a universal fact.'
Emma explains that, while it might feel like we're always jumping out of the way of men, one substantial observational study actually found men were more likely to move for women. So, despite the uproar we may see on social media, Emma believes it would be more accurate to describe this as a 'plausible unconscious social pattern rather than definitive evidence that men believe they own the pavement'.
She also adds that it may be worth us considering that the stories from Londoners say more about cities than it does about men and women generally. 'We should be very cautious about observing behaviour in one particular urban environment and presenting it as evidence of how British men treat women'.
As far as Emma sees it, there may be a lesson here: 'Maybe women should work on their entitlement to owning space and expecting others to respect that'.
