A Man Among Female Leaders: ‘The Risk of Mansplaining Is Very High’
- 6 years ago
A Man Among Female Leaders: ‘The Risk of Mansplaining Is Very High’
2, 2017
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Xavier Prats Monné could not say what exactly he expected from Iceland, this tiny gender utopia where selling pornography has been banned since 1869
and the world’s first openly lesbian prime minister was elected in 2009.
Mr. Prats Monné, a regular at conferences, said the room not only looked different, but sounded different, too: "It’s so quiet," he said.
At a time when scandals of sexual misconduct in the workplace are roiling society, Mr. Prats Monné was one of a few men on the roster of speakers.
Yet the first three speakers turned out to be men: Iceland’s president, foreign minister
and prime minister (who, later in the week, would be replaced by a woman).
Nibbling on a strawberry, Mr. Prats Monné observed: "There really aren’t many
people who look like me." "Welcome to my world," Ms. Koch-Mehrin replied.
At 5.30 p.m., that female driver, a 27-year-old named Erla, was taking us to our first event: a reception hosted by Iceland’s
former president Vigdis Finnbogadottir, 87, whose cult status is such that all Icelanders refer to her by her first name.
2, 2017
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Xavier Prats Monné could not say what exactly he expected from Iceland, this tiny gender utopia where selling pornography has been banned since 1869
and the world’s first openly lesbian prime minister was elected in 2009.
Mr. Prats Monné, a regular at conferences, said the room not only looked different, but sounded different, too: "It’s so quiet," he said.
At a time when scandals of sexual misconduct in the workplace are roiling society, Mr. Prats Monné was one of a few men on the roster of speakers.
Yet the first three speakers turned out to be men: Iceland’s president, foreign minister
and prime minister (who, later in the week, would be replaced by a woman).
Nibbling on a strawberry, Mr. Prats Monné observed: "There really aren’t many
people who look like me." "Welcome to my world," Ms. Koch-Mehrin replied.
At 5.30 p.m., that female driver, a 27-year-old named Erla, was taking us to our first event: a reception hosted by Iceland’s
former president Vigdis Finnbogadottir, 87, whose cult status is such that all Icelanders refer to her by her first name.