This idea is not new, but this article is a pretty good explanation of–and gives a name to–this phenomenon where women dare to exist in public spaces: Patriarchy Chicken. The idea is that women don’t leap out of men’s way when moving around in public.
The first time I read about this practice, I will admit that I snickered. I was pretty sure that I had not, in fact, spent my life privileging men’s space in public. Then I went to work: parked my car and walked the half mile across campus to my office. I consciously did not alter my pace or trajectory for those around me, and I counted 0 women, 0 non-binary folks, and 7 men who were explicitly taken aback by this. And, for my part, it was hard not to move out of the way. So now, I play Patriarchy Chicken.
Erin Clark Frost 