Men may be from Mars and women from Venus but good manners are common to both sexes. It seems basic courtesies and proper behaviour is a tall order for most men. Women from diverse backgrounds share their pet peeves about the not-so-fair sex.

Manya Patil Seth
Entrepreneur and Entertainment Professional
“I could write a whole chapter on this! But SNORING tops the list! It is a potent health hazard for a woman – unless she snores more loudly than the man!”

Deviya Kumar
Radio host, Voice artiste and Writer
I think the universal pet peeve be it any class or country are the verbal expletives which men use as a punctuation mark, especially the ones targeted at women without caring about who might be around or listening. I wish they would make a mental picture of what they are saying. Although, this isn’t the norm but I have had to deal with this a few times. Call me traditional but a woman still wants to be treated like a princess when it comes to relationships. Finally, I find it very annoying when men sit in a posture that leaves nothing to the imagination. I mean just because you are a man it doesn’t mean the world is your bedroom. And what makes it worse is if they end up scratching themselves oblivious to your existence. Sometimes it’s such a lost cause it ends up amusing you.

Pamposh Gulati
Senior Consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Most men that I have come across, have this horrible habit of adjusting their junk in public or perpetually scratching their itchy crotch. This annoying habit unfortunately can come from even the most hoity toity of men around.

Sonali Verma
TV Actor
There are many things I find irritating in men. For instance, the bewildered look on their faces when asked to do a simple household chore…a very simple list of stuff to get from a super market can send them in a spin..and these men claim that they can put together a race car engine blindfolded!! I also hate how they turn into loud aggressive creatures when a sport event is on! They thump the table, yell, get really loud, hog the tv, become superstitious (don’t move, he’ll get out!). But seriously, what really bothers me is when their describe their wives or mothers as “just” or “only” housewives…do they even get what goes into making a happy healthy family and home? Do they even fathom the hard work that goes into that??”

Pritha Sharma
Media Professional
So the thing that annoys me most is when men are rude to wait staff and also how some times the snap their fingers at people to get their attention etc. Another peeve is when men keeping shaking their leg – it is very bad body language sign, according to me.

Text by Aarti Kapur Singh