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Mansplaining is a man’s condescending tone and sometimes the content of his explanation to a woman because he assumes that she has less knowledge on the subject than he does. It generally comes from a manly sort of arrogant ignorance and over-confidence, and it’s rude. The negative impact of mansplaining can be particularly upsetting. Mansplaining is when a man, typically in a position of power, explains something to a woman in a condescending manner. It’s also what men do when they assume no woman knows something or would have done anything differently. Mansplaining itself is exhausting, frustrating, and intellectually insulting. Most people don’t like to be patronized or condescended to, which means women who experience it frequently will feel like they’re constantly walking on eggshells so as not to offend their male colleagues. It becomes an all-consuming game of mental calculus: Will the trade-off in anger, irritation, and resentment at this mansplainer’s latest act be worth correcting him?
Mansplaining has changed by a male asserting himself on a female in a knowing or unknowing condescending manner. It is the belittling conversation carried out by an arrogant man whose aim is to make his interlocutor feel ignorant through willful pedantry. The frequency of the behavior is a factor in how often it is engaging and thus the long-term effects. Whereas males are more likely to engage in behaviors that interrupt, women are not allowed at all to speak. While it is true that men interrupt women equally as much as women interrupt them, this data does not take into account the number of times they engage in conversation as well as the way they engage.
It happens particularly in discussions around subjects and topics that are traditionally gendered. When a man assumes that he has to explain something in more detail to a woman without having a thorough understanding of how much knowledge a woman has on a particular subject further perpetuates gender stereotypes. The term mansplaining has been used for more than a decade to describe men who condescendingly explain things to women and, often, belittle or patronize them in the process. While it may seem obvious that explaining should be left to those unequipped to give an accurate explanation, there is the historical context for this kind of interaction. Mansplaining is a social issue that impacts individuals in many ways toward achieving equality.
To eliminate mansplaining behavior, women must continue to make their voices heard and share their experiences. They can also address mansplaining during diversity and inclusion pieces of training for men by asking them to stop or acknowledge the behavior while it is happening.