New study reveals woman have their own version of ‘mansplaining’

It is more than a decade since the term “mansplaining” was coined – although the practice it describes has, of course, existed for far longer.

But women can be just as bad at delivering unsolicited and condescending explanations, according to a study.

Researchers asked more than 1,800 women to read scenarios in which either a man or a woman gave a co-worker of equal standing uninvited advice about getting promoted or instead of asking supportive questions.

The participants were asked to report how they thought they would feel if they were the person in the scenario.

Analysis revealed that it didn’t matter whether the “mansplaining” advice came from a man or a woman – either way, it made the participants imagine that they would feel less respected and that they were of a lower status.

The researchers from Columbia Business School and Stanford University, who published their findings in the journal Psychological Science, said: “We initially thought women would feel less respected, powerful and trusting when receiving unresponsive advice from men than from women.

“But (the advice) had similar negative effects... regardless of whether it was from men or from women.”