The term 'mansplaining' refers to when "a man explains (something) to someone, typically a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing" (Google Dictionary). Mansplaining communicates to women the following: Women do not know anything they claim to know. Even if they have a degree, certificate, or personal experience that proves they have knowledge on a topic, they still do not 100% know what they are talking about. Women everywhere have experienced mansplaining at least once in their life. An example of a woman's experience with men mansplaining her is, "I've had men explain what the female orgasm is like, what the menstrual cycle is like, and yes, even what having a baby is like (All inaccurate accounts, incidentally.) I don't have to tell you what that felt like, or how hard I had to fight not to interrupt, roll my eyes and walk away" (Quora, 2016). When a man mansplains a woman on anything the woman knows a lot more about than him, it can cause the woman to become annoyed because the man, by mansplaining, communicates his opinions about the woman's education/ expertise levels. He is communicating that he believes a woman is ignorant and less educated than him.
This blog post on mansplaining is very interesting to me! I found it fascinating how men try to explain something like giving birth to women. It seems like almost a psychological thing in some men to always have to "one-up", or try to be better, than women.
ReplyDelete