To point out that the word "mansplaining" is sexist?

[gordonsbennnet]

Just that really. It may be funny here on Mumsnet, but if you use the term in a professional environment you should expect to be called out for it. Anyone offended by it would be justified in raising it with their HR department.

Even if you are complaining about mansplainers, you’re still focusing on the behaviour. Just an aspect of their whole person.

I think it's a bit histrionic to complain that it's a sexist word. There are absolutely men who do a thing that this word describes so well.

But I don't have a problem saying that there are a few social behaviours that seem to particularly belong to women as well.

On the other hand I would agree that both men and women can be accused of these things in a way that is sexist. I've seen men who were just saying something pretty normal be described as mansplaining quite unfairly. Same with women being called hysterical, for example.

I prefer the term correctile dysfunction - not sex specific so should be cool

I couldn't give a shit to be quite honest.

you should expect to be called out for it

Yeah, my HR department doesn't 'call people out' because it's not run by 12 year olds.

There’s lots of terms you shouldn’t really use in a workplace, how about ‘Please don’t patronise me’ instead 😌

🤣🤣🤣

If it's used accurately, it's a handy description of bad behaviour.

We used it as an example of non-inclusive behaviours senior leadership should be self-aware of in an HR session at the company I work for (huge multinational).

Your post is utter bollocks!

Stop being such a wet wipe, OP.

I like this.

I've only clicked on two threads since I've sat down waiting for the floor to dry after mopping and they have both been batshit.

I quite like the batshit ones when I'm sat down having crisps and wine.

Maybe we will also get a parking one with a diagram also tonight.

Love a parking thread.

I wouldn't use it at work - I think there would be a danger of my complaint not being taken seriously. I'd say 'I felt Gordon's way of explaining thing was rather patronising' or 'Gordon's explanation was pitched at the wrong level because the people he was talking to are experts in the subject'.

I would certainly use 'mansplain' informally when having a moan, and I use it to point out to my husband when he is doing it.

🌼

Patronising is the existing word to convey the very same meaning without the implicit self-inflicted victimhood women are encouraged to bestow upon themselves.

No, it means something different. Mansplaining is specifically a male person

A. Incorrectly assuming he has greater knowledge or insight than a female person due to the implicit credibility a sexist culture bestows on male people compared to female

And

B. Taking it upon himself to educate said female person when she had not asked for his help or advice, because in a sexist culture a male's desire to impart information to a female person or to have her pay time and attention to something he has decided she should know is more important than her own priorities for her time and attention

There can be no exact general female equivalent to mansplaining in our society because male and female people are not treated with exactly equal credibility (far from it!). Hundreds of years of placing authority and learning only in the hands of men means that the majority of our representations of authority and learning are male, and those cultural biases are the context from which mansplaining arises.

That said, even in this context there are certain limited scenarios where female people are expected to be the authority, generally around children, home and fashion, and in those situations the reverse situation certainly could and does occur. For example, if I, as a childless woman, felt entitled to give a father parenting advice based on my reading or experience of friends' families, that would be a very similar dynamic, and given how well understood and recognised the term "mansplaining" is, I'm pretty sure if I described that as "womansplaining" everyone would understand it.

I do find it interesting that you believe a few decades of popular feminism was enough to "implicit self-inflicted victimhood women are encouraged to bestow upon themselves", but it doesn't seem to have occurred to you that a few millenia of patriarchy might have encouraged men to bestow upon themselves an unwarranted assumption of their own authority. 😜

STOP FEEDING THE TROLL

Surely "mansplaining" is genderist...

"Malesplaining" would be sexist.

🤔

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Unfortunately it needs to get used a lot in my place of work, because some of the men are very much guilty of doing it, I work in a technical field that is male dominated, I am qualified, but the way some men speak to me you'd think I was a 3 year old.

If only the term 'mansplaining' was unnecessary...

Whats it called when women do it, to either men or other women?

I cant stand the word.

I don’t mind replying to trolls if they create an opportunity to explain something that matters. Trolls' tendancy to make asinine statements can be a great gift.

@bellac11 men aren't an oppressed group so it doesn't work that way around.

i luffs it as a word. often dish it out if feeling mansplained to. I just want to know the equivalent term for when a woman does it to me! although that may just be patronising?? (Just occurred to me that the root of "patron" surely relates to "pater" and therefore male?!)

Erm, thank you, random man!

It completely works that way round.

I work and always have done, predominately with women and theres plenty of them who are completely patronising and 'know it alls'.

The men who would do this,, would do it to anyone, in the same way that women who do this do it to anyone, its a personality quirk.

Smart arse invention of words just to have something else to name call (see snowflake, gammon etc) is simply more divisive unhelpful behaviour.