Sorry! I don't know the etiquette that comes with shaking a woman's hand. What should I do when a man offers his hand?
Don’t apologize at all. By no means am I an authority on this, and I usually cave into the social pressure of taking the man’s hand and making a mental note of it. Miss Manners basically advocates that method…
I searched my personal etiquette book (subtitled “A Complete Guide to Modern Manners”) and it said: “Do note, in days gone by, a gentleman would wait for a woman to extend her hand. In modern manners we are gender-neutral.” Emily Post says the same thing. While I respect that idea, I wonder how many men who offer their hands are aware that it used to be inappropriate? I have never met a man over 60 who didn’t wait for me to initiate the handshake.
Disclaimer: my mother gave me the aforementioned book after I left for college, but before that I studied the 1950s Amy Vanderbilt book in my parents’ library. Here are some snippets from it that I find relevant:
Sorry it took so long to answer. Hope this helps!