Why are men’s and women’s buttons on opposite sides?

THIS might make sense if most women were left-handed and most men were right-handed, but as it is, most people are right-handed.

The reason has its roots in custom and fashion. In the last few centuries, both men and women wore more clothes than they do today.

Depending on the era, men might wear waistcoats, pantaloons, gaiters and wool jackets. But women’s clothing was far more elaborate, and could consist of a dozen or more garments including petticoats, bloomers, gowns, corsets and bustles.

Especially in middle and upper class society, men generally dressed themselves, but women didn’t. Maids and servants dressed the lady of the house.

Dressmakers and tailors soon realised that reversing the buttons on women’s clothes made the job faster and easier. Because men were not dressed by servants, there was no need to reverse the buttons on their garments.

Here are a few more theories:

* Men held swords in their right hands so it was more convenient and quicker to use their left hand for unbuttoning, while women tended to hold babies in their left hand and could more easily use their right hand for unbuttoning their shirt to allow their baby to suckle.

* Women rode sidesaddle and putting the buttons on the left reduced the breeze that would flow into their shirt in this position.

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