Originally, or so the story goes, a woman's shirt was buttoned on the other side so a man could undo it the way he does his own. Now, I think it is just a matter of marketing.

The real truth is so people with poor vision, can tell the difference between his and hers clothing, especially in the dark.. do you believe this?

Because women used to have servants help them dress. Since there were no zippers, the dresses were laced or bottoned. To make buttoning easier for the help they were put on reverse.

From Ask Yahoo! See the article for further links. While we didn't manage to isolate a definitive answer for this question, we learned plenty about the tricky relationship between exigency and style. For example, this lengthy article on button conventions suggests that in the 19th century, well-heeled Victorian women generally didn't dress themselves, so their buttons were designed to be handled by right-handed servants. Although wealthy men may have had servants to lay out their clothes, they generally dressed themselves, and so the buttons on the right side of men's garments made more sense. A Yahoo! Search on "button history" also led us to Benjamin "Good Advice Is Timeless!" Dover of the Dallas Morning News. Mr. Dover notes that the first button jackets for men were modeled after the latching designs of armor, which were designed to stop a right-handed opponent from jamming a pike through the seam. He also suggests that the left-side buttons on women's clothes may have been intended to facilitate nursing an infant on the side closest to the woman's heart. Jeff Elder of the Charlotte Observer (who has one of the greatest byline photos we've ever witnessed) suggests that men's coats were designed to make it easier for them to unbutton their coats with their left hand while drawing their swords with their right. In general, we gleaned that European men tended to take their plumage cues from the military, while women's clothing arose out of domestic concerns. For more facts about couture and where it came from, check out the Fashion History category in the Yahoo! Directory. http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20031205.html

Because when garments of these types were first worn, men traditionally dressed themselves, so buttons were placed on the right side, (for the right-handed majority). Women were often dressed by maids, so the buttons were put on the opposite side to make it easier for the maid.

Easier for the other to take off

To distinguish between men and women's clothing.

I'm not exactly sure however, I think it distinguishes between the two types?

The story is that men put on their own clothes, whereas women (fashionable ones, at least) dressed with the assistance of their ladies maid, who did up the buttons from the other side. This may be just a story. Or it may be that women had the buttons put the way that implied they had a maid, whether they did or not; the less well off imitating the wealthy, even if it caused them inconvenience. Maybe it is just custom.

I always thought it was to allow men to get at the weapon tucked in their shirt, but a little research suggests that mens shirts button on the right because they dress themselves and most people are right handed. Ladies shirts buttoned opposite to make it easier for the maid to dress them. No wonder I always have trouble. Hope this helps.

This originates from when the gentry were dressed by servants. The buttons on a Women's shirt would be arranged to allow them to be easily done up by the servant who was dressing her.

This was the best one I could find. http://www.marquise.de/en/themes/linksrechts.shtml

Are you looking in or looking out? My very male buttons are on the right hand side of my clothing (looking out) I doubt very much that there are special Mormon clothing manufacturers who reverse this, so I think you are in "Mormon Garments" by mistake.

This is what I heard. I don't remember exactly how it goes. I think men used to dress themselves and ladies used to dress each other, so they got used to inserting the buttons oppositely from the way men did it.

Men's clothing usually has the buttons on the right side with the left side coming over the top. I was told that this dates back to the days when men wore swords. In a right-handed world the more natural thing to do would be to have the right side of the garment buttoned down over the left side. (This is why this is the case for women's clothing.) However, a man drawing a sword from his left hip with his right hand runs the risk of snagging his clothing in the process. This could prevent him from being able to get his sword out before his opponent is upon him. So, clothing makers started making men's clothing with the left side buttoning down to the right side to prevent this from happening.

Because ladies used to have "ladies in waiting" who would dress them and therefore the buttons are designed for another person doing the buttoning.

some men probably do, you just haven't been paying that much attention

Because women used to have maids to help dress them. The buttons on woman's clothing is easier for someone else to button. The buttons on men's clothes are easier for the wearer to button.

I either read or a teacher told me years ago that this because back in the day it was easier for the maid/dresser (for those who could afford them) to button them with them on the opposite side.

I'm sure I read somewhere that it's because in the olden days ladies had maids to help them dress. So men's clothes are meant to be buttoned up by the wearer, while women's are meant to be buttoned up by someone else. That's what I heard, anyway.

When you're frantically getting dressed in the darkness with those heavy footsteps approaching up the stairs, you get a fighting chance of putting on your own clothing before bailing out the window!

Because wealthy women used to have ladies that would help them dress and they found it was easier for them to reverse the buttons from the right side to the left so when the woman helping was facing her, the buttons were on the correct side to her.

So no one will get cooties

i thought the majority of people were right handed. There is a reason why women's buttons are on the other side - but i can't remember what it is!

My understanding is that this dates back to the days European royalty, when women did not dress themselves. It was easier for servants to button clothing with the buttons on the left side, so that became the norm.

Because the majority of men are right handed.

its actually fairly norm for me, im left handed... =]

I understood it was because in times gone by, it was considered best to breastfeed babies with the right breast first. The buttons on the left, help expose the right breast faster.