This Flowchart On 'Mansplaining' Should Be Required In Every Workspace Ever

This chart perfectly breaks down what it means to mansplain

Ahhhh, mansplaining. The not-so-subtle exchange between a man and a woman when the man feels the need to explain something to a woman that she: a) didn’t ask for b) already knows or c) knows way more than he does. Writer and designer Kim Goodwin took to Twitter to share a chart she made titled “Am I Mansplaining?” It would be great if this was distributed to every office, home, and social situation.

Here’s how this chart works. Basically, we start with the first question which is: “Did she ask you to explain it?” If the answer is yes, then please feel free to explain away. It’s not mansplaining and it’s just one person breaking down something for someone else. If she didn’t ask you to explain it, then we enter the treacherous, icky waters of mansplaining central.

The results are further broken down into three categories: probably mansplaining, definitely mansplaining, and just stop talking now. Men enter that final zone when they find themselves explaining something to someone who is a well-known expert on the topic.

A lot of men quickly got defensive, snarky, and angry about this chart. They filled Goodwin’s timeline with complaints that there’s no such thing as mansplaining. They said that they have been “womansplained” in the past and that this is not a “gendered issue.” LOLOL forever.

Don’t worry, Goodwin took this dude to church.

More importantly, though, women weighed in and said that the chart is both solid gold and completely accurate. Some shared their own experiences with mansplaining.

Many, many others said that they wanted to print out multiple copies of this and hand it out at work. And laminate it. And put it on business cards.

Also, special shout-out to the men who acknowledged that mansplaining exists, discussed their own slip-ups, and noted that they’re making an effort to change. You are shining stars in a very gross, murky comment section.

So, the next time you find yourself nodding silently as a man explains something you already know maybe you should whip out this handy-dandy chart and fork it over. Hopefully, they’ll take the “just stop talking” subsection to heart.