Originally Posted by You want to go where?

Real old old-school etiquette calls for the man to get on first, not the woman, but for the woman to exist first. Why? Because getting on an elevator was supposed to be potentially dangerous, and therefore, the man should take the risk first, or remain in the risky situation last.

The same rationale once applied to stairs. A man was to position himself so that if the woman fell, he would be able to catch her.