How come on 95% of the online forms I complete male comes first in the list then female, then others, etc.
Is this just a left over from the olden days, where it’s just become the default way of doing things regardless.
Sorry random thought of the day, it just popped into my head.
Probably just because most people say “male or female”, “Mr or Mrs”, “man and wife” etc.
It probably does have roots in general male dominance in society though I doubt most people think about it now.
I had to do the alphabet in my head thinking maybe it’s in that other… Nope 
I suspect this is the only reason. I can’t think of any other reason, anyway.
No need to apologise. Random thoughts are often the most thought provoking.
Yeah sadly it’s coz our society views male as the “norm”. I cant image never having to scroll for my gender or title. Everything just defaults to male/mr and I have to change them,
It would be stupendously simple to pseudo randomise the order, so wonder why no one does it!
It’s simple, sure, but also requires extra work. Also entirely unnecessary.
I don’t know about unnecessary. These little tweaks can change an image quite a bit
Ladies and gentlemen
I mean I wasn’t suggesting there are literally no examples.
I suspect that the ladies and gentlemen is due to it being a formal versions of gender and might have a similar function to “ladies first” ie. a politeness.
Then you’re just creating the exact opposite problem and favouring women. Giving the other group the priority is just as bad as the first one having it.
Why should ladies go first?
Because we live in a male dominant society and that’s what many people aim to correct. Small acts that remind us that women are not secondary to men or that being male is not the ‘default’ can be part of the solution.
Yes, men are at risk of being oppressed and overlooked 
That’s an issue today. By you making fun of men being oppressed and overlooked, you’re part of the problem creating an environment where that’s likely to happen.
Creating equality is one thing, but putting the previously advantageous group at a disadvantage is not doing that.
This is payback for the fact that every time you visit a department/clothes store, the womenswear is always on the ground floor and menswear is either in the basement or on the first floor. 
It’s a contraction of Lords, Ladies & Gentlemen anyway 
Which is a contraction of ‘Your Majesty, My Lords, Ladies and Gentleman’. Luckily for this statement, our majesty is female right now.
The problem is traditionally in ‘Your Majesty, My Lords, Ladies and Gentleman’ common women are not really included at all as technically a Lady is formally the wife of a Lord.
Well of course, we know our place
Thankfully (for you) we are probably centuries away from that ever being possible. Men are currently privileged in almost every section of life and putting women sometimes first on an internet drop down list really wont change that 
You cut that to look like I was stating fact, I said “I suspect” which is very different
Just FYI 