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Is “Mansplaining” Real?
[Listen to an audio version of this blog here.]
Well, sure mansplaining is real. But, if we take a look at the definition “Mansplaining is what occurs when a man talks condescendingly to someone (especially a woman) about something he has incomplete knowledge of, with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about it than the person he’s talking to does.”
Although women certainly can interrupt and speak over men and other women in ways that are inappropriate or rude, “mansplaining” is a uniquely gendered issue, sprouting from a culture that implicitly values men’s voices over women’s. Bitch Magazine published an article called “7 Studies that prove mansplaining exists.” From men interrupting women more to dominating meetings and occupying more space in media, the proof is difficult to argue with. Even so, men will argue that not all men mansplain, or even that mansplaining itself is a sexist term. It is incredibly frustrating to live with the constant assumption that men know more, even if they don’t. Women who are experts in their fields experience this repeatedly, almost, it seems, because they are experts.
My favorite example comes from Rebecca Solnit, a prolific writer and author of the essay and book “Men Explain Things To Me.” Although she didn’t use the word “mansplain” she describes one of the most painful examples I’ve come across to-date…