Mansplaining behavior among male educators working in private educational institutions

Discrimination against women on the grounds of gender inequality is a phenomenon with a history that extends back to the very origins of humanity. The male-dominated culture that is embedded in society and the patriarchal family structure have a significant impact on discrimination in both public and private spheres. This structure characterises men as superior and women as subordinate. Despite the expansion of opportunities for women in the business world, they continue to confront a range of challenges, including low salaries, lengthy working hours, unsuitable job roles, psychological violence and the phenomenon of 'mansplaining'. The latter refers to instances where men communicate with women in a superior and instructive manner, reflecting the persistence of a male-dominated social structure in daily life. This study employs a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of mansplaining as experienced by female teachers in the context of special education institutions. It draws upon the discourses of male educators to elucidate the determinants of gender norms within these discourses. The research was conducted in private education institutions in the Ağr In order to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 male educators. The fact that the questions were directed directly to male educators instead of female educators introduces an element of originality to this study. The responses to the semi-structured open-ended questions were subjected to in-depth analysis from a feminist perspective. The findings elucidate the ramifications of gender inequality in the domain of education and the challenges encountered by female educators in their professional endeavors. The principal limitation of the research is that the sample is confined to the province of Ağrı. Consequently, the findings may not fully encompass the circumstances prevailing in other urban or rural settings. It is, therefore, recommended that future research encompass a broader geographical scope. The objective of this study is to examine in depth how the phenomenon of 'mansplaining' – defined as the act of explaining something to someone of a lower status in a way that assumes that the male speaker is of a higher status – manifests itself in special education institutions and to reveal its effects on female teachers. The study found that there is a relationship between the occurrence of 'mansplaining' and the socially superior position of men and the association of women with secondary roles. This suggests that in their daily relations with women and in their discourse towards women, male educators reproduce their primary position that is endowed to them by society. It was found that the discourses of male educators corresponded to discourse categories that can be listed as gender hierarchy, patriarchy, authority and power, men's expectation of obedience and approval, men's assumption of knowledge and competence, scepticism towards women's knowledge, overconfidence and self-confidence in men, disregard of women's expertise and competence, emotionalism against rationality in women, secondary characterisation and devaluation of women, and distrust in women's communication skills. Keywords: Gender, Patriarchy, Feminism, Mansplaining, Private Education Institutons