Throughout the day she pushed to be at the front of the group at every opportunity and openly complained about the lunch menu at a very exclusive restaurant giving us the detail on why she wasn't willing to eat what was on offer. It does seem that a confident woman is more likely to act this way that a confident man.
She was a journalist and her industry and workplace probably has to have a 'no nonsense' approach. Maybe those everyday niceties are not everyday in her normal working life but surely we can all adjust? People who work in noisy factories, who need to yell to speak to a colleague, are quite capable of quietly asking for the salt across the dinner table after work so I suspect it's a type of person who exudes these discourteous tendencies rather than being a product of their environment. Or is it that a man can be considered charming when confident and women have not yet learnt how to use their confidence without trampling over others? A controversial statement but worth considering. Maybe we need more excellent female role models in all industries to demonstrate how to act and to show that respecting others is not a weakness.
I haven't yet mentioned that this female journalist was not English so this could have been a cultural difference but the group were a mix of nationalities and others knew when to adapt so I don't think it can be used as an excuse.
Do you have any thoughts on how women can be respected while not being downtrodden, which is what seems to be these brash women's fear? No-one is trying to belittle them but first impressions do count and walking over others is not a long-term way to get ahead in life.