Men spreading their legs while standing, also known as “manspreading”, has become a hot topic in recent years. Many women complain that men take up too much space on public transport by spreading their legs wide apart. This article will examine some of the proposed reasons why men manspread, and whether it can be considered rude behavior or not.
Anatomical reasons
One of the most commonly cited reasons for manspreading is anatomical differences between men and women. The external reproductive organs of men are more sensitive and prone to injury when compressed. Having the thighs close together can cause discomfort or even pain in the genitals.
Men have narrower pelvises than women, meaning their thighs converge at a sharper angle. This makes keeping the legs together tightly much more difficult. The balls (testicles) also cause an obstruction, preventing the thighs from closing completely.
Here is a summary of the key anatomical reasons for manspreading:
Key Anatomical Reasons
| Sensitive genitals prone to injury when compressed |
| Narrow male pelvis causes thighs to converge at sharper angle |
| Testicles obstruct thighs from closing completely |
Therefore, from a purely anatomical perspective, it appears men are predisposed to sit with their legs spread more than women. This is due to physical differences beyond their control.
Lack of awareness
Another reason proposed for manspreading is that some men simply do not realize how much space they are taking up. Men are often larger than women, so they may underestimate the amount of room their bodies occupy.
Additionally, men are socialized from a young age to take up space. Young boys tend to sprawl out while sitting, and this habit continues into adulthood. The male privilege of taking up public space is rarely challenged.
Some men say they adopt wide stances while standing to feel more balanced and grounded. However, this sense of stability could probably be achieved without encroaching on others so significantly.
Key Reasons Related to Lack of Awareness
| Underestimating body size |
| Socialized from childhood to take up space |
| Wide stances feel more stable, but less space could achieve same stability |
So it seems that obliviousness or inconsideration, rather than malice, could explain some manspreading behavior. Greater public awareness campaigns could help tackle this issue.
Dominance and entitlement
Some argue that manspreading is a display of male dominance and entitlement. In a public setting, the amount of space one occupies conveys social power and status. Men are used to asserting power and authority over women in both public and private life. Manspreading allows men to literally take up more space, affirming their social superiority over women.
Related to this is the concept of male entitlement over female bodies and space. Some men feel entitled to occupy extra room, just like they feel entitled to comment on women’s bodies and behaviors. Manspreading forces women to maneuver around men, similar to how women must constantly navigate a society built for and dominated by men.
Here are key points related to dominance and entitlement:
Key Reasons Related to Dominance and Entitlement
| Manspreading allows men to take up more public space, asserting status and power |
| Sense of male entitlement over female bodies and space |
| Forces women to maneuver around male bodies |
This perspective argues that manspreading is not simply anatomical or oblivious, but an overt display of male privilege and power. However, others argue this is reading too much malicious intent into a posture.
Health benefits
Some doctors and physiotherapists argue that manspreading can have health benefits for men. Keeping the knees far apart while sitting can help stretch the hip adductor muscles on the inner thighs. For men who spend long periods sitting, this stretching can offset some of the hip and posture problems caused by prolonged sitting.
Here are some potential health benefits of manspreading:
Potential Health Benefits
| Stretches hip adductors |
| May prevent hip and posture problems |
| Offsets harms of prolonged sitting |
However, these benefits could be obtained through other targeted exercises and stretches. Manspreading tends to take up more space than necessary for this purpose.
Gender differences in nonverbal communication
Research has identified some gender differences in nonverbal communication that could explain manspreading. Women are more likely to occupy a compact posture to avoid offending others, while men are more likely to adopt open postures to show confidence and status.
For example, women cross their legs more often than men. This takes up less space but communicates passiveness. Men are more likely to broaden their shoulders and expand their stance to appear larger and more impressive.
Relevant gender differences include:
Gender Differences in Nonverbal Cues
| Women more likely to adopt compact posture |
| Men more likely to broaden stance to appear confident/impressive |
| Women cross legs more often |
| Men spread out to appear larger |
These inherent differences in nonverbal communication could unconsciously manifest as manspreading. However, being aware of this allows men to control excessive spreading.
Lack of proper role models
Manspreading may also arise from a lack of proper male role models teaching boys etiquette. If fathers, older brothers, or other male role models exhibit poor manners like manspreading, boys are likely to imitate this.
Children often mirror the behaviors of their same-gender parent or guardian. Boys lack instruction that manspreading is inconsiderate if male family members engage in it without reprimand.
Reasons related to poor role modeling include:
Reasons Related to Lack of Role Models
| Boys imitate fathers or male guardians who manspread |
| Male family members model spreading without being corrected |
| Boys don’t learn manspreading is inconsiderate |
Teaching boys early on to sit with proper posture and awareness of space could prevent manspreading habits forming. Male family members must also lead by example.
Laziness and comfort
Finally, some men acknowledge they spread their legs simply because it feels more comfortable and requires less effort. Maintaining a compact posture with legs together takes more muscle strength and concentration.
After a long day, men may slip into a relaxed sprawl without thinking. Or if they are tired or distracted, they don’t focus on sitting properly.
Reasons related to comfort and laziness include:
Reasons Related to Comfort and Laziness
| Sitting compactly requires more muscle strength |
| Sprawling is easier and more relaxed |
| When tired or distracted, men may not notice they are spreading |
However, male comfort and relaxation should not come at the cost of taking up excessive public space. Men can still relax in public without manspreading to such an extreme degree.
Is manspreading necessarily rude?
Despite the various reasons above, the question remains – is manspreading an inherently rude or hostile behavior? Or is it simply something men do naturally without intending offense?
On crowded subways, buses and trains, excessive spreading does seem inconsiderate, as space is so limited. There is rarely a need to spread more than slightly beyond shoulder width in such contexts.
However, manspreading may not be so rude when there are no space constraints. If a man is sitting alone on a bench or standing in an open area, spreading does not deprive anyone else of space. Some of the likely motivations, like comfort or anatomical alignment, become more valid.
So the context matters when judging manspreading. The rudeness arises from taking up limited public space, not from the posture itself. But men should be aware before spreading into others’ personal space.
Conclusion
Manspreading has complex social, anatomical and behavioral drivers. Key factors include anatomical differences, obliviousness, nonverbal communication, and entitlement issues.
Though some manspreading arises from ingrained habits or anatomy, men should consciously minimize spreading in crowded public settings. Leading by example and training boys early can also mitigate negative impacts.
There are still spaces where moderate spreading is fine. But ultimately manspreading in confined public spaces communicates entitlement over others’ space. Awareness and consideration of fellow public users is needed. Compromise solutions like one knee spreading may alleviate discomfort while also accommodating neighbors.
With mutual understanding and respect, men and women can share public spaces harmoniously.