Mansplaining comes in different ways, and it’s pretty obvious when it does happen. In fact, most women in the workplace have experienced this from their male coworkers. Maybe you couldn’t find a word for it—but we’re here to tell you that it’s clearly mansplaining.
Before we get into the main definition, we’ll just like to give a simple mansplaining example. Let’s imagine you walk into your office, and in the next few hours everyone is called into a meeting. You have been preparing for this meeting for a while now because your boss told you about the topic to be discussed since you’ll be directing most of the agendas.
The meeting begins and you are going on about the topic. The next thing, a male colleague of yours gets up and starts to talk about the topic. He clearly interrupts and starts to explain the topic, even when his input was not needed. He gives his explanation in a condescending way that makes you seem like you know nothing about what you’re talking about.
If you’ve come to the end of this story-like example and you really want to ask the question, “What is mansplaining?” Well, fear not because we have an answer to shed more light on this example we just made and how to deal with mansplaining.
What is mansplaining?
Mansplaining became an official English word in 2018, when Merriam-Webster dictionaries added the word. The dictionary defined it as “to explain something to a woman in a condescending way that assumes she has no knowledge about the topic.”
The term simply means when a man shuts a woman down while trying to explain what he believes he knows more than she does. However, this doesn’t only refer to men. Some women also perform “womansplaining,” which is the same, but just the other way round.
What’s the difference between mansplaining and explaining?
The difference is pretty clear, but we’ll still break it down for you. When you explain something to someone, you do it without being overconfident or trying to talk down on the other person. When you mansplain, you talk in a condescending way to the person. It’s very important for people to learn how to not mansplain to others.
How can you tell if someone is mansplaining?
There are different ways to tell if you are being mansplained. Let’s look at them:
The Dominance Coworker
Even outside the workplace, we come across men who always want to be on top of everything and take charge. It’s even worse when a fellow male colleague continues to shut you up at every chance you get to speak. When you have such a person in your workplace, you might actually be mansplained.
The Condescending Coworker
Having a coworker who talks down to you is annoying. In fact, it’s very frustrating because in everything you do, you are made to believe that your opinions are incorrect. These people believe that they have the best idea on any given task or topic.
The Not-So-Knowing, Overconfident Coworker
These ones basically think they know it all, but the truth is they know nothing. They always try to be overconfident when talking, but it’s pretty clear that they know nothing about what they are talking about. Let’s look at one of the examples of mansplaining. Imagine you are in your sociology department at work. All of a sudden, another coworker from communication comes to you. He starts trying to tell you about a topic you previously discussed and how poor it was. He talks on and on about how it should have been discussed. This is a very obvious mansplainer.
How to deal with mansplaining?
If you want to learn how to deal with mansplaining, then you’re in the right place. The most common tip on how to deal with mansplaining is to attack the problem right away. We advise those who are suffering from this problem to speak up.
Most of the time, some of these male coworkers have no idea what they are doing wrong. Some of them grew up with the idea that they have more authority over women and can speak down on them whenever they want. So, addressing the problem head-on will be a good way to go.
You can start by telling them what they are doing. You can say, “Mr. A, you are mansplaining to me.” Then, from this point, we are pretty sure he might not have an idea of the meaning of what you just said. Go ahead and educate him. He will be able to understand how to not mansplain you and other women.
You also need to note that not everyone will understand and relate to you. Some of them will still continue with their behaviors and will not opt in for a change. If it’s too overbearing for you, you can reach out to the higher authorities to report the matter. Maybe they will have a proper method of handling the issue.
Conclusion
Mansplaining in the workplace should not be welcomed or encouraged. We speak about equality every day, but it starts with the little things at work. We should all join hands to make a difference today.