‘Did you mean to say that? You have misread that!’ ‘You know the topic but you have got this wrong.’
The above can be casual comments or even a jibe, which means no harm. However, in workplace mansplaining, a scenario when a man explains or tells a woman in a condescending or patronizing way, assuming that the latter has no understanding of the topic, can make women question their competence. The findings of a recent study indicate that there are several effects- from holding back thoughts and willingness to express to adverse effects on productivity and job satisfaction.
The research by the Department of Psychology, at Michigan State University, and the Department of Psychology, at Colorado State University, comprised three studies to understand how men and women react differently to condescending communication and interruptions.
The findings reveal that the women are more likely to not work with the person mansplaining and doubt their competence. However, men are relatively unimpacted by such patronizing behavior.
Study 1 aimed to “document the nature and occurrence of competence-questioning behaviors as perpetrated by men toward women in the workplace. The results suggest condescending explanations and voice nonrecognition were more often seen as attributable to sexism than interruptions, particularly in men-dominated workplaces.”
On the other hand, “Studies 2 and 3 employed experimental designs to consider whether the same competence-questioning communication behavior performed by a man or woman is perceived differently and whether those perceptions differ based on the gender of the recipient of the behavior.”
The research concluded that “women perceive and respond to these incidents differently than men, and react differently than if such behaviors were enacted by women. We see evidence that women recipients are more likely to interpret the communication as competence-questioning, as attributable to gender bias, and have greater negative reactions to it than men recipients.”
