As a sweeping generality, the disparity in treatment of men and women in first and biz classes certainly is something I've noticed. Like TexasFlyer, the first several times I was accorded such I thought I must have been imagining it (it's often difficult for me to believe someone is being out-and-out rude to me!) but after the tenth, twentieth and thirtieth times the pattern clearly was discernable and very real.

What's odd about my own reaction is that I'm a bit of power-house . . . I steam right along rarely acknowledging barriers in my path. But, I've never figured out how to counter effectively unequal treatment in the skies. Ultimately, of course, my main goal in air travel is to get on and off the plane with as little aggravation as possible. I don't want to be a raging ..... yet I loathe collaborating in my own ill treatment.

megamiles reminds me gender isn't alone as a bias.

Jaws -- yes indeedy, there are male and female trees (even, gasp, hermaphrodite trees). Hollies (ilex), for example, require both sexes for fruiting. I'd tread lightly with baobab . . . that's one big tree (metaphorically, of course).

I've got to say I am much enheartened by this boards willingness to hear and vent this discussion. Finest kind of company!