system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why were pants mainly for men and skirts for women back in the olden days?

Wouldn't skirts be better for males because of our genitalia? Wouldn't pants be better for females because of their genitalia?
gpt
First off, many cultures around the world don't have this distinction - men and women in skirts is normal and they wouldn't understand the fuss. For the western world, trousers came about for practical reasons - they're easier to ride horses with is a big one. Women have kept skirts and dresses as western attitudes on femininity remained stuck with the idea that women can look pretty but don't really need to do anything practical. World War II was a major catalyst for wardrobe changes for women, but 100 years ago the idea of a woman in trousers was as difficult to understand for majority of people as a guy wearing a skirt today.

Up until about 100 years ago, children in the west still wore unisex outfits (think boys in frilly dresses) and even 50 years ago the idea of pink is for girls and blue is for boys didn't exist (historically, red was for men, pink was for boys and blue was for girls - red fabric dye was very expensive, and blue was a cheaper colour to produce).

On a side issue, you'll probably find that women's trousers have the flap covering the fly opening opposite to men's, with the explanation being that men dressed themselves and women were dressed by their maids (except for jeans).

Depending on the shape of the skirt, of course it's better for men, but western society in general has an issue with accepting this. Skirts are simpler to make and can even be warmer than trousers. For women, pants may make more sense than for men but skirts still do too.