Why should ‘manspreading’ be just for men? | Zoe Jewell

This word is now in the Oxford Dictionary - and as a woman who finds this sitting position rather comfortable, I think it's an unnecessarily gendered issue

Yesterday, the term "manspreading" was added to the online Oxford Dictionary. It made the news and I felt surprisingly pissed off about it. On the way to work, I counted three women participating in fine examples of "manspreading". Ever since I was a teenager, it has always irritated me that sitting with your legs open was seen to be the preserve of men. It seemed to be based on the outmoded assumption that women always wear skirts and that even in trousers they should be making themselves small and polite in public spaces. In an admittedly minor rebellion, I started to sit like that too.

Related: Quiz: do you know your bants from your manspreading?