The plague of the manspreader is real (Picture: nevermindtheend/Flickr)

Manspreading has existed since the dawn of public transport. The word has come into existence only recently, and since we’ve become aware of it, it has been the bane of commuters all over.

Now, after years of awkwardly wedging ourselves onto train seats, one man has finally leapt up to the podium to take on a very important task.

No, not ridding the world of the plague of manspreading. That would be too helpful.

Instead, EconoMonitor writer Ash Bennington has teamed up with a data scientist named Mark Skinner, to mansplain and defend the act of manspreading, and thereby make us all accept the act into the fabric of our society.




HOORAY. Much easier than telling guys: ‘hey, would you mind shifting your legs closer together if someone’s trying to sit next to you? Thanks.’

Writes Bennington: ‘Our new analysis suggests that manspreading is something men do to adjust for their body proportions — especially their high shoulder to hip ratio — and not an act of transgression against their fellow passengers.’

He and Skinner used three data sets for their in-depth mansplaining, so you know it’s legit (H/T Gothamist).

First off, the shoulder-to-hip ratio bit. According to the manspreading team’s data, the average man’s shoulders are 28% wider than his hips. By contrast, the average woman’s shoulders are only 3% wider than her hips.

This matters, apparently, because ‘if a man sits on the subway with his knees together, and other passengers crowd in closely on both sides, then his torso likely won’t fit on the top half of the seat if his knees are positioned less than shoulder width apart.’

Sure.

The second set of data is from military personnel, measuring foream-to-forearm breadth. This showed almost equal differentials between men’s and women’s upper torso breadth, but also that men and women have very similar ‘distributions of hip breadths’.

Bennington claims that ‘proportionally, a man needs to secure more seat space using his legs than a woman would need to, in order for the man to maintain enough room to sit up in his seat.’

Suuuuuure.

The final bit of data suggests that manspreading is an ‘adaptive benefit’ to avoid ‘collisions’ in the aisle of crowded trains. Apparently, the average man can reduce the distance his knees protrude in the aisles by about 3.1 inches simply by manspreading to a 30 degree angle.

They’re just trying to be kind and helpful, you guys!

Clearly, these risk-avoiders have never seen the pure rage of someone being pushed into the glass divided by a man forcibly spreading his legs on the tube.

In short: sure.

Thanks so much, Ash, for mansplaining the concept that manspreaders prioritise a tiny increase in comfort over the comfort of anyone else riding public transport. Glad we got that sorted.

MORE: Pole-hogging is the new manspreading, and we’re so, so tired of it

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MORE: Quiz: How good is your London Underground and Tube etiquette?

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