Mansplaining is when ‘a man explains something to a woman without being asked, particularly something which she might already know more about than him’
Women who have things mansplained to them in the workplace can now report it to a dedicated hotline.
Unionen, Sweden’s largest union, is encouraging members to call up when male colleagues give them unsolicited lectures on things they already understand.
The organisation, which represents 600,000 private sector workers, launched the advice line on Monday and said it will be open from 10am to 4pm everyday for a week as part of a campaign to highlight and stamp out the insidious and damaging practice.
For those who might not be familiar with the modern portmanteau, the union defined mansplaining as when “a man explains something to a woman without being asked, particularly something which she might already know more about than the man”.
Unionen said the commonplace practice diminishes women, by making them appear less competent than they are.
A study by the American Psychological Association found that men “tend to overestimate their intelligence to a much greater extent than women” and showed that “self-assurance in men grows with age”.
Unionen said the phone line, which will be staffed by a gender expert and a group of feminist politicians, comedians and scientists, is “about equality”.
“It is about putting your finger on the small everyday problems which become large when they stack up.”
When…