By whom?
A huge chunk of the rest of the world, & my traveling extensively has confirmed that even if it is anecdotal.
I always open/hold open a door for a woman, always have, always will irrespective of whether they want me to or not. I always step aside to allow a woman to pass too and I always say things like after you, please and thank you - it costs me nothing to do so and leaves me with a warm glow. This was how I was “drug up” by my parents. 
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Maybe they were just being polite? 
Good to see you @Percy_Vere , and just so.
Holding a car door open; offering to ladies first; and countless other small gestures that are or once were considered the polite thing to do.
FYI one of my mother’s favourite saying at one time too was “they were dragged up” etc.
If they somehow all were then I feel certain that the reason would be that I had no doubt also been polite and so set a good example.
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Or they were just being sarcastic having listened to you. Just saying. 
I like that thinking, Zaphod…
What, all of them when you live there even?
There are examples galore, but look:
Has been known. Lord only knows what they said about you after you left.
Okayyyyyyyyyyy … 
Quite so @Percy_Vere
Reminded me of this little anecdote:
One morning on a holiday we went on when the children were young, our waiter/host was trying to look after his 2 young grandsons (along with his wife the cook) whilst also doing his job. They were wild, climbing chairs, jumping off them and running and hollering around the place. When our 3 were asked what they wanted to eat they all started with a “Please can I have…” They waited patiently and happily for their much anticipated food, thanked the waiter on his return with said breakfasts and ate politely.
I’ll never forget the look on that Waiter’s face as he looked from his grandsons back over to our three, and in his best, rugged, Penzance accent said "Ow do you get these kids to be’ave like thahh? You drugged em or summahh?
The glow I got from that was tenfold!
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That kind of reminds me of when I stopped to ask directions in rural Somerset.
That was 40-odd years ago and I swore then “never again”!
Oh that accent!
Thank you, @Zaphod
I agree that holding a door open for a woman is a true classic. It can be a kind of rangefinder for men and a dilemma for some women. Would be interesting to read how women actually see it, i.e., if they have any gender expectations?
As for myself, I always hold a door open for the person following me regardless of their gender and wouldn’t mind if they did the same for me should they reach the door first.
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…or reserve a sunbed close to the hotel pool with a towel (too) early in the morning?
Comes to something when you’ve got to bribe a hotel porter to put a towel on for you while they’re setting up.
I held the door open for a woman coming behind me. She stopped and said “You want to shut that door, love?”
Me: “Oh I thought you were coming in, sorry”
Her: “I am, but I can open the door myself”
What on earth? 
No doubt she’d have given you the evil eye if you hadn’t held the door open for her.
Some people are like that!
Well exactly…what on earth was the point of making the point??
Where there is harmony, let there be discord.
That’s how some people seem to feel.