Manspreading is Spreading, and It’s Unhealthy for Everyone

Space invaders need to be called out, and firmly reined in

Hands down, Roz Warren is one of the #1 best writers on Medium. Her essays always offer a great message, delivered with a generous dose of humor. When I see a post from Roz, I know my day is about to get a whole lot better.

That was definitely the case when Roz’s recent essay on who should get the middle seat armrests on a plane popped into my feed.

The synopsis: Roz’s friend Ethel was stuck in a middle seat on a long flight, when both of her armrests were claimed by the men in the window and aisle seats.

Since it was an overnight flight, the guys promptly zonked out. This left Ethel trapped between them “with both of their large, entitled arms crowding into her personal space.”

What did poor Ethel do? In a word, nothing. Miserably, she settled into the uncontested area and tried to get a little shuteye.

And what did Roz have to say about her friend’s plight? In her post, Roz admitted she “probably would have done the same thing”:

“I would have quietly reminded myself that air travel is a miracle…So what if the seat you’re in isn’t as comfy as you’d like it to be? Knowing that, I’d attempt to convince myself to feel grateful for the miracle of flight instead of angry and hostile about the invasion of my space.”

As much as I love Roz’s story, I have to admit this isn’t the response I was hoping for. “Manspreading” — the practice of a man extending his legs and/or arms in a way that encroaches on the passenger in an adjacent seat — is a problem for a lot of women on public transportation. A study by Hunter College found 26 percent of male subway riders in New York City guilty of the practice, as opposed to less than 5 percent of females.

Manspreading has made the middle seat of an plane so unpopular that the airline Virgin Australia launched the “Middle Seat Lottery” — a $145,000 raffle open to anyone willing to occupy the odious center spot.

While the term “manspreading” often inspires giggles or eyerolls, the practice isn’t really that funny. The truth is, manspreading is unhealthy, both for women’s bodies and for society as a whole.

Here’s why.

Being crowded out is tough on the joints

When you’re crammed into a confining space, it’s not just annoying — it may also be detrimental to your joint health.

Orthopedic specialists say especially for women — who have wider pelvises than men — pressing the knees together for long periods of time can lead to musculoskeletal problems and chronic hip pain.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Barbara Begin recommends women sit like a man — or SLAM, as she calls it. Sitting with your knees at 11 and 2 o’clock is more healthy, she says.

Crossing your legs and trying to take up as little space as possible has nothing to do with protecting women’s anatomy, she says. Instead, it has everything to do with sustaining outdated expectations of “ladylike” behavior, leading to unhealthy hips and knees.

Manspreading is socially accepted rudeness

Manspreading on public transport has become so common that laws have been passed in many places around the world. In Spain, Madrid’s Municipal Transportation Company installed signs reminding commuters to “maintain civic responsibility and respect the personal space of everyone on board.” Likewise, in New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unveiled public service ads asking men to occupy only one subway seat.

If you think these efforts were successful in encouraging men to step up and show basic courtesy, think again. Across the internet, men derided the campaigns.

“I’m going to sit how I want to sit…I’d just laugh at the ad and hope someone graffitis over it.” — 20-year old man on the MTA’s website

Other men cited biological differences as justification for the need to spread their legs. (To which I say: That’s nuts.)

At its core, manspreading begs the question: Why do we have to pass laws to force men to act respectfully? Are teachers no longer instructing little boys to “keep their hands and feet to themselves”? Are we going to pass laws reminding guys to keep their fingers out of their noses and their junk in their pants?

Maybe I’m dating myself here, but I remember the day when passengers on public transportation — both men and women — jumped to offer their seats to fellow riders who were older, pregnant, disabled, or laden with packages.

Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.” — George Washington, “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior”

A society that loses its courtesy loses its humanity.

Manspreading is sexist

While most women I know were raised to be respectful and thoughtful of others, many men don’t think twice about infringing on a woman’s personal territory.

The reason? Some scientists cite men’s desire for dominance. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that dominance is communicated through different forms of bodily expansion, including “more grandiose space-taking.”

This makes perfect sense, especially when you consider the animal kingdom. Have you ever seen how big a bear tries to make himself when a hiker accidentally crosses his path?

Everyone knows dominating and sexist behavior sucks for women. Even today, it’s common for women to encounter men who belittle their abilities or treat them as sex objects. In Sweden, women can even call in to a “mansplaining hotline” to report when male coworkers condescendingly explain things to them at work.

But being sexist also sucks for men. That’s the conclusion of a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology. The study, which involved almost 20,000 males, found that men who adhered to sexist norms not only harmed the women around them, but also showed significantly worse psychological health themselves.

The bottom line?

Manspreading is a symptom of sexism, which is unhealthy for both genders and for society as a whole. Physically, women who do nothing to challenge manspreading when crowded into small spaces risk long term damage to their hips and joints.

It’s easy to dismiss manspreading as a simple bro-culture annoyance. But ignoring it — saying “boys will be boys” — only further entitles the offenders and exacerbates the problem.

So what’s a better solution — for everyone, for Ethel, and all passengers fighting for the metaphorical armrest in the dreaded middle seat?

No need to call the flight attendant or make a major fuss. Simply and firmly lay claim to a portion of the real estate yourself. (After all, there’s room for two elbows if one occupies the top half of the armrest and the other the bottom.)

And if that doesn’t work?

At that point, I agree with Roz. All bets are off. Give the “passive aggressive little secret pinch” method a try.

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