“Dear men, why do we mansplain so often?” a reader asks in taz. A (unnamed) professor of Gender Studies at the University of Mainz responds.
Mansplaining, the professor explains, is not directly proven scientifically; there is only anecdotal evidence from everyday life: “unpleasant experiences of tiring condescension by men or those in higher-status positions. However, there are studies that link the condescending explanation of things—where the other party actually knows more—with men’s tendency to overestimate themselves. Men seem to be less concerned in conversations about making false claims or asserting knowledge they don’t actually have. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to underestimate themselves. This is also why men are often more aggressive in applying for jobs that might overwhelm them.
(…) Condescension toward conversation partners is clearly a gesture of dominance. It likely stems from conversational habits men fall into because certain speaking roles have traditionally been granted and expected of them. Mansplaining can therefore be understood as a remnant of old feelings of superiority and positions that were either attributed or assigned to men.
(…) On the other hand, this conversational behavior is, of course, not exclusive to men. Women, too, often claim superior knowledge over other women and men in areas where they are perceived to have high competence, such as childcare, relationship advice, or as higher-status professionals in their fields. However, we don’t talk about womensplaining for two reasons: First, because women may still exhibit such gestures of dominance less frequently. They tend to be more focused on the subject matter and on cooperation. Second, their forms of dominance don’t align with our feminist gender stereotypes. After all, feminism itself has, over the past two generations, contributed to shaping our ideas of what we expect from women and men.”
The professor also notes a disadvantage for those who enjoy hearing themselves speak and are less inclined to listen: they miss out on the opportunity to learn something new in conversations.
Published by herCAREER,
Posted on LinkedIn on 14.12.2023
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