The 9 best ways to deal with mansplaining at work

It was revealed yesterday that Theresa May's national security director, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, is resigning next month amid suggestions that he 'mansplained' to the PM.

This is a result of reports that Sir Mark "got into a lot of trouble" for talking over the Prime Minister during a meeting in Downing Street.

Mansplaining has become so common that it has even been given a dictionary definition: when a man 'explains something to someone, typically a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronising.'

Olympic cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten experienced this on Twitter after suffering a crash in the women’s Olympics road race which left her in hospital - something one user helpfully pointed out could have been avoided by 'keeping the bike steady.'

It is also something women experience often at work, just like our Prime Minister, where men decide that they know best leaving us to defend our experience or suffer the uncomfortable condescension.

Here are nine ways to deal with mansplaining at work.

9 Ignore them

Just nod and smile as they continue to wow you with their wealth of knowledge, and know that you don’t have to do what they’ve said as you’ve probably got better ideas anyway.

via GIPHY

8 Find out how they’re such an expert

If a mansplainer is acting like he knows everything on a subject, find out how this is. If there's actually no expertise behind their bragadoccio,  feel free to dismiss their 'advice' entirely.

7 Challenge what they say

Not only will you prove that you know what you’re talking about, maybe they’ll learn something too.

6 Explain mansplaining to them

For as long as mansplaining persists, womansplaining should too, right?

via GIPHY

5 Politely remind him about your experience

Mansplainers clearly don’t appreciate that the women they’re talking to might be more experienced than them - if this is the case politely drop in that you have a lot of experience so you don’t need to be patronised.

4 Hit them with sarcasm

3 Stand your ground

Already told them that you happen to be particularly knowledgeable on this matter, and still faced with condescension? Don't back down - tell them to back off.

2 Criticise them after they've gone

Sometimes none of the above works and they continue to mansplain away and in this case the best option might be to have a good old moan to your fellow colleagues once they’ve left.

via GIPHY

1 Get them to resign

It worked for Theresa, after all.