Mansplaining

How often have you found yourself in a situation where a man explained to you what you
already knew? Or maybe you've been the one who's had dismissive interactions with women in
your environment, but never realised what the problem was?

Mansplaining is a term that is used to describe a situation where a man explains something to a
woman, especially in a patronising or dismissive tone, without regard to her knowledge of the
topic. The word is a combination of words «man» and «explaining».

The main problem with mansplaining is that a man, assuming his superiority in some area,
ignores a woman's experience, knowledge or understanding on the subject. This can manifest
itself in the work environment, educational institutions, public places and even in personal
relationships. Mansplaining is often linked to gender stereotyping and inequality because it
implies that men are by default more competent in certain areas or generally in all matters. This
phenomenon has been criticised as it can undermine women's professional authority, reduce their
self-confidence and contribute to the maintenance of gender bias.

The term «mansplaining» emerged from socio-cultural discussions about gender relations and
inequality. The word first came into widespread use after the publication of Rebecca Solnit's
collection of essays entitled «Men Explain Things to Me» in 2014. In her article, Solnit describes
a situation where a man was explaining a book to her, not realising that the author of the book
was herself.

The word «mansplaining» was not used in the essay itself, but later it came to be used in online
discussions as a way of describing a particular kind of patronising or dismissive behaviour,
where a man explains something to a woman based on the assumption that she is not competent
enough on the subject. The term quickly gained popularity and became part of everyday
language, describing a particular type of gendered communication.

In films and television shows, one can find examples of male characters explaining something
obvious to the heroines or topics in which women act as experts, thus emphasising the problem
of mansplaining.

In the television series The Office, Michael Scott often mansplains to his colleague named Pam.
In one scene, he is explaining to her how to properly perform the tasks of a secretary, even
though Pam has been in the position for years. Michael says, «Pam, let me show you how it's
done». Scott explains very basic things to Pam, which makes her angry.

In the film Hidden Figures, one of the characters, a white male engineer, tries to explain the
basics of mathematical analysis to mathematician Katherine Johnson, unaware that she already
has this knowledge at a high level. Katherine replies to him, «I know that. Can we move on to
the next part?»

These examples show how mansplaining is used in the media to illustrate gender imbalance and
bias. They highlight the importance of being aware of and criticising this kind of behaviour in
real life.