manˈsplān/

verbinformal

gerund or present participle: mansplaining

(of a man) explain (something) to someone, typically a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing.

“I’m listening to a guy mansplain economics to his wife

This word seems to be gaining momentum through the media’s use of the term throughout election coverage. I’m hearing women at work use the term daily. That’s new. We now have a gender-specific term to describe condescension. “You think I’m stupid because I’m a woman, and you’re a man.” (Not because I’m tangential, vague, or unprepared, for example. It’s definitely because I’m a woman).

Can I say a woman is “mansplaining” something to me? Explaining something to me like a man would? Is condescension a male trait? Isn’t that just the inverse of “you throw like a girl”? Do we think men who tend to condescend only do this women?

I have had both men and women condescend me in the work place. And yes, it gets me fired up beneath the surface. I had a male boss who used to call me not by my name but by “Girlie.” “What’s the plan, Girlie?” Like he was my grandpa. I also had a woman boss suggest that I try recruiting workers at the bar “cause of my (blonde) hair.” These are both inappropriate and gender-based statements. But why does one deserve its own term? Women are assholes, too.

If someone condescends you- do you blame it on their gender and yours? Or do you communicate the barrier that they are building in the way their communication is making you feel? Aung San Suu Kyi’s famous quote is “Human beings the world over need freedom and security that they may be able to reach their full potential.” Respect begets both freedom and security. Labeling the situation gets you nowhere, when you become a man and a woman instead of both humans. Kind, honest communication especially on how others make you feel is key to building an effective team.

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