Why are buttons on shirts and pants on a different side for women's clothes?

[Shawn Sunshine]

I personally think its harder to button up women's shorts, especially since I am right handed, I was so used to buttoning up the pants a certain way, but it seems most women's clothes have the buttons on a different side, why do they do this? What purpose does it serve?

[Beth Andrea]

I was told that, "back in the day", hundreds of years ago and until recently, women would dress their man...not because the man couldn't, but because the clothes required an assistant while the wearer stood still.

It made it easier for m'Lady to dress the good Sir if the same hand held the button and the other held the hole.

[Shawn Sunshine]

did men then also dress women too? is that why the button is on a different side for women's shirts also, or is that just a style thing, a way to signify that its a woman's shirt? Buttoning my men's shirts was so much quicker for me than apposed to women's.

[Beverly]

I have heard similar to what Beth said, except it was that rich ladies were dressed by the maidservants so the buttons were on the left of the blouse because the maids were usually right-handed. I have also heard that it is easier for a man to undress a woman especially if he has had some dutch-courage first....

Do not worry about it Shawn, you soon get used to it. I used an old male shirt for some painting and decorating a while ago and it felt really weird to have the buttons on the other side.

[Beth Andrea]

Two words:

Elastic waist, and pullover tops.

The buttons don't bother me as much as the apparently random sizing efforts.