Interaction between women and men: A comparison of Germany and Singapore

Having grown up in Germany and having lived in Russia, I noticed that the ways men and women interact in these cultures differ tremendously. 

I still remember my first days in Moscow when I met new people - among them were men - and tried to shake hands with them, which is the usual way of introducing yourself to someone in Germany. First people looked at me in confusion. Then they shook my hand reluctantly, which confused me. Did I do something wrong? 

Later during my exchange it turned out that it is very uncommon to shake hands with the opposite sex in Russia. But it does not stop there. Let me give you a few more examples of how the interaction between men and women differs.

To Russians tradition and etiquette are of high importance. It is still very common to hold the door, help a woman to put on her coat, pay the cheque for dinner and give up your seat in the subway. Getting offered a seat in the subway is a thing that has only happened to me in Russia. In Germany elderly or pregnant women can consider themselves lucky if they get offered a seat at all.

Same goes for holding doors or helping women to put on their coats. These are things that do not happen to women in Germany often. So when I and my Russian girlfriends met male exchange students from Germany in Moscow we were puzzled.  Why were these boys so rude?

Then we realized it is just not common to behave this way in Germany. Apparently the German boys did not know about those differences between the cultures and therefore could not adapt.

But isn’t it essential to adapt to a foreign culture once you arrive? Or are these out-dated rules that can be ignored?

What do you think dear readers?