Mansplaining, Manspreading, Entitlement, and the Everyday Double Standard
Gender bias often operates quietly—through tone, assumption, and entitlement—shaping everyday interactions in offices, institutions, and public spaces. Kanwal Gurtej Singh reflects on such subtle prejudices drawn from lived professional experience.
IN ALMOST ALL walks of life—from boardrooms to public spaces—everyday interactions reveal deep-seated, nuanced biases against women.
Be it mansplaining in formal meetings or manspreading in crowded trains, such behaviour continues to surface in subtle yet telling ways. These moments bring to mind real-life situations that reek of quiet entitlement and ingrained prejudice.
When Mansplaining Meets the Law
A drama unfolded in the taxation tribunal. A male senior advocate, prominent in criminal law, took on a high-profile tax dispute. Representing the other side was a young female advocate with expertise in taxation. Mansplaining to her in a patronising tone, he aggressively began arguing his point but quickly got out of his depth.
Mansplaining in professional spaces
As he vehemently pushed for Input Tax Credit relief for his client, he missed a crucial distinction at the heart of the matter.
She politely pointed out his mix-up between Zero-Rated Supplies and Exempted Supplies, only to see his blistering tone falter and his ringing arrogance bruise. The law was clear; his grasp wasn’t. Mortified, he retreated hastily—a boardroom failure. The young lady had the last laugh.
Another instance was equally telling. A lady officer worked tirelessly to draft VAT laws for the state department. A senior male officer, with scant knowledge of taxation affairs, jumped in to “help” her.
Also Read: To Be an Officer and a Gentleman
Speaking in a condescending tone, he attempted to explain a complex taxation concept. Predictably, he fumbled for words, much to his embarrassment.
Bureaucracy, Bias and the Merit Question
One more anecdote—albeit not too subtle—comes to mind. Back in 1999–2000, the state chose to extend an unprecedented compassionate hand to the widows of Kargil martyrs, offering them gazetted roles in the state taxation department.
Ideally, it was meant to be a badge of honour—a salute to the ultimate sacrifices their husbands made for the country.
But for some senior male colleagues resentful of this perceived “privilege”, it was too bitter a pill to swallow. Fast forward to a review meeting, and a male district head’s egregious remark still sends ripples of outrage:
“My district is flooded with lady officers who are beneficiaries of the state’s overly benevolent attitude.”
This dig wasn’t merely a reflection of skewed priorities; it was a textbook case of gender bias, revealing deeply clouded judgement.
Irony momentarily missed a beat when this officer, of average intellect, patronisingly commented on lady officers armed with stellar academic credentials.
Bright young female officers were suddenly blamed for declining revenue collections. Conveniently enough, the same scrutiny was not applied to their male counterparts who had also entered the department on compassionate grounds.
This incident isn’t an aberration—it is a snapshot of the everyday sexism women face in formal settings and public institutions.
Public Spaces, Private Entitlement
Sadly, a general perception continues to prevail that women secure their place not by merit but by pity. Society often—and erroneously—rewards women for proven merit while rewarding men for perceived potential.
Manspreading in public transport
The officer’s remark may be brushed aside as “just something said in a lighter tone”, but it exposed a deeper rot—one that questions women’s competence and reduces their achievements to mere handouts.
One such episode is reminiscent of the brazen entitlement seen when a middle-aged man manspreads on a crowded train, his legs sprawled wide as though he owns the space.
When a woman politely asks him to move, he snaps, “You’re being too sensitive.”
Also Read: VOICES FROM THE SHADOWS
The real question staring us down is this: when will we stop trivialising such blatant biases? Glass ceilings may have shattered, but the floor beneath remains uneven. 
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Kanwal Gurtej Singh
The author, a former Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, brings long administrative experience and close observation of institutional culture and governance.
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