Mansplaining, Manspreading & Manels

Mansplaining, Manspreading & Manels – I thought these terminologies are now a part of the common lexicon with at least conversations going around it. But I was rudely mistaken when a senior male colleague expressed his ignorance or rather his nonchalance at these expressions. When I expressed a bit of shock, he retorted, “Am I missing something? Is it something I should know off?”

Why is it so difficult noticing or knowing something which is so obvious? Especially something which men have been practising since ages and women have been at the receiving end. Is it because the practices are so firmly embedded that they have started to blend with the normal and acceptable despite efforts to call them out?

How often have you been an audience in a panel, a television discussion, webinar or conference consisting of only men?

How often have we women had a male colleague, relation or a friend ‘explaining’ to us something which we have a better understanding and experience of?

And how often have we women adjusted and squeezed ourselves to shrink further in public transport only because the man sitting next to us has spread his legs and hands all across?

So, a “manel” is a term that is often used to refer to a panel which consists entirely of men. ‘Mansplaining’ is the practice of a man explaining something to a woman in a way that shows he thinks he knows and understands more than she does. And ‘Manspreading’ is when a man sits with the legs spread wide apart in a public transport or seating area that intrudes on the space of others.

These terms are being increasingly used to highlight the exclusion of women as knowledgeable subject-matter experts and also the male practices of occupying more space than required and having a perceived monopoly on knowledge.

 We have all seen panel discussions featuring only men discussing a gamut of issues from economics politics and international relations to policy, health and culture. No doubt the male panellists may be experts in their fields, but it’s also true that it’s men who are easily given these opportunities, despite the presence of several women who may be equally competent in these domains.

Not just women’s voices continue to be underrepresented and excluded in such public discussions and panels but it also perpetuates the image of men being at the helm of affairs and in positions of power and authority. Even more ridiculous is an all-male panel discussing reproductive health rights or women’s safety!

Besides being sexist, manels are exclusive and continue the underrepresentation of women. Manels are easy to organise as men are easily available even though it shows a lack of understanding of the need for diversity and inclusion in public discussions. Agree,  organisers do not set out to explicitly exclude women but it is important to question why is an all-male panel an acceptable pattern? The absence of women from public fora means that we miss significant expertise, insights and a balanced view because of such gender bias.

What is disturbing is the continuing lack of awareness about this issue. Manels represent a deeper gender bias across political and corporate leadership, academic networks, panels, boards etc. “Marticle” is another term used to describe articles and papers where only men are cited. The inclusion of women brings diverse perspectives and issues which men might not have considered.

Interestingly, women are more likely to be invited as guest speakers when other women are organisers. Of course, women should not be invited just because they are women or as a tokenism, by giving them a seat at the table. But because qualified, talented, competent and articulate women do exist. We need to look a bit harder and deliberately include women.

Importantly, all-male panels serve as harsh reminders about the space, legitimacy and visibility often enjoyed by men. Like class and caste, the representation of gender also reflects the power distribution and social structures in our society.

When it comes to mansplaining, it’s so common that very few men even understand what it means. Writer Rebecca Solnit first explained this concept in her 2008 essay, which later became a book – Men Explain Things to Me – in 2014, where she describes an incident where a man condescendingly asks her to read a book without knowing that she is the author of it.

It soon became a word to describe a situation where men arrogantly and confidently give women unsolicited and distorted information with the erroneous notion that they know more about it. Mansplaining occurs in varying degrees almost everywhere – in offices, boardrooms, drawing rooms and bedrooms.

Men often interrupt women when they are speaking not allowing them to complete.  They tend to explain things not asked for and drown out women in conversations and public forums, even when the women are better qualified and informed. Mansplaining is also a form of sexism where a man explains something to a woman even when she does not need him to articulate it for her.

Again, mansplaining is embedded in our cultural conditioning due to patriarchy which perpetuates the stereotypes that knowledgeable men are superior and need to display their knowledge, especially while interacting with women or when they try to talk on behalf of women. It also acts as a way to silence and disrupt women’s voices and undermine a woman’s ability to be independent.

Women often face such situations not just in workplaces but also in their domestic and personal spaces. ‘Manologues’ and ‘manterrupting’ are other forms of disruptions while communicating with women. While in a ‘manologue’ a man is likely to dominate the conversation and go on about a subject, ‘manterrupting’ is when a woman is interrupted by a man simply because she is a woman.

It is common knowledge that men speak more in meetings, are more likely to interrupt a female than other men and hijack conversations. Not every man does this intentionally but is unconsciously biased and unaware of his behaviour and sees nothing wrong in it.

 Women have always been told to occupy the least amount of space possible while there are no such directives for men. How often women are told to cross their legs, close their legs and sit in a proper lady-like manner? While women try to squeeze themselves into small spaces, men unfold themselves comfortably on public transport and other public seating areas.

Manspreading – the act of men opening legs too wide and taking up too much space, particularly on public transport and public seating areas is a common practice. While men, sitting comfortably with their legs open in buses, metros, trains and public parks are not questioned, women sitting in a similar manner often tend to invite disapproving glances.

Such behaviours are so ingrained in our everyday life and interactions that most men do not even realize when they are mansplaining, manspreading or participating in a manel. To stop such practices men definitely need to be more aware and consciously stop being a part of it. On the surface, it might appear like a trivial issue but is a manifestation of deep-rooted gender bias.

The fact that these words have become accepted words in the dictionaries goes to show how common these practices are. The main underlying reason for such practices is patriarchy which enables men to hold power, influential roles and control over expertise, knowledge and space.

To achieve true inclusion and diversity and as progressive and equal individuals, we need to call out such practices and stop participating in them. The UN Team in Indonesia for example has taken a pledge to not participate as a speaker/panel member in any public meetings, conferences, or webinars where there are no women on the panel. They have also disseminated our ‘no-manel’ pledge widely across social media and have invited our partners and the diplomatic community in the country to join us in this pledge.

Likewise, manspreading has been banned on public transport in several international cities from Madrid, Boston, New York City to Philadelphia and Seattle and many others are campaigning against it as well. The problem is so pervasive that manspreading is considered a crime in busy New York City.

It’s equally important for women to speak up and set boundaries too. In a recent trend, to break the gender stereotype, women across the world have been sharing photos of themselves on social media with their legs akimbo to reclaim their space.

It is down to all of us, to ensure that diverse opinions and insights are heard and more women are visible. These practices need to be addressed, especially in the workplace, because it is rooted in inequality. Organisers, organisations and men need to be more conscious, take a step back and help in creating an equitable and enabling environment where all genders can equally share knowledge, opinions and spaces.