Post by Nigaar Abubaker-Esmael, FCG, M. MIoD, TEP

The day “mansplaining” was born…and why it still shows up in meetings, boardrooms, and everyday life. In 2008, writer and historian Rebecca Solnit was at a party when a man asked what she had been working on. She mentioned her new book..about the photographer Eadweard Muybridge. His eyes lit up. “Have you heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year?” Then he spent several minutes explaining her own book to her.!! Even after her friend said: That’s her book..he kept going.😡 That moment inspired Solnit’s iconic essay “Men Explain Things to Me,” which coined the word for something women had long experienced: 👉 Mansplaining : when someone (often a man) explains something to a woman with unwarranted confidence and little regard for her actual knowledge or expertise. It’s less about gender alone and more about power, assumption, and the dismissal of another’s credibility. And it doesn’t just happen in boardrooms. Women encounter it everywhere..in classrooms, on panels, at family gatherings, even online. Any space where a woman’s voice is minimised or “corrected” without cause is fertile ground for mansplaining. In the workplace, its impact is amplified: voices get drowned out, innovation suffers, and leadership potential is quietly undermined. Recognising it.. and calling it out respectfully..isn’t about blame. It’s about creating cultures where expertise is valued and everyone feels heard. Have you ever been on the receiving end of “mansplaining” 😞 or caught yourself doing it 😛? How did you handle it? and what do you think helps shift these everyday power dynamics? #Mansplaining #RebeccaSolnit #GenderEquity #Inclusion #Leadership #Communication #WorkplaceCulture #Respect #Diversity #WomenInWork