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On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Women&Tech® ETS supports and spreads awareness about the mechanisms, often invisible, that hinder the full participation of women in professional life.
Among these are the phenomena of mansplaining, manterrupting, and manscluding: communicative behaviors that question women's professional competence or limit their participation in dialogues and decision-making processes. These are subtle forms of mistreatment that can contribute to creating hostile and discriminatory work environments.
Collaboration on the research project
Women&Tech® ETS had the honor of collaborating on the realization of the study “Mansplaining and Workplace Incivility, Mechanisms to Female Focused Bullying?”, expertly and generously coordinated by the Work and Organizational Psychology Area, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences of the University of Trento.
The project, conducted from March to December 2024 on a sample of Italian female workers, analyzed over time how behaviors of Gender Competence Questioning (GCQ) — including mansplaining, manterrupting, and manscluding — can evolve and intensify into more severe forms of mistreatment, such as incivility and mobbing.
What emerges from the study
The results highlight:
- The forms of “mild” mistreatment are not harmless: over time they can develop into mobbing. The study confirms a pattern of escalation from GCQ to mobbing.
- Organizations and leadership make a difference: workers with competent managers report significantly fewer incidents of mansplaining, incivility, and mobbing.
- Dynamics among women require attention: 67% of victims report having experienced mobbing from other women, a phenomenon associated with role pressures and competitive stereotypes within organizations.
- Working online does not eliminate the problem: remote and hybrid modes do not reduce the risk of mistreatment, which takes on different communicative forms.
Why it is essential to talk about it today
Combating violence against women also means recognizing and preventing the subtle and systemic forms of discrimination that occur in professional life. Making these behaviors visible, understanding them, and measuring them is a necessary step to build fair, respectful, and inclusive work environments.
Women&Tech® ETS will continue to collaborate with institutions, research centers, and companies to promote culture, awareness, and good practices against all forms of gender-based violence, starting from words, gestures, and daily relationships.
