Let me mansplain: studies reveal impact of condescension

Exclusive: US research using actors and volunteers finds women have negative outcomes but men are less affected

• Have you been mansplained to? Take the quiz to find out

Let me explain this to you slowly, to make sure you understand. Mansplaining is a made-up word, that combines the words man and explaining to describe when a person - usually a man - provides a condescending explanation of something to someone who already understands it.

Just because I am a woman doesn't mean I can't be guilty of something akin to it, but female recipients are more likely to respond negatively to male mansplainers doing it and to feel like their competence is being questioned, data suggests. They also speak up less frequently after it happens, which could have consequences for workplace contentment and productivity.