[stagbeetle]

From my own experience around this sort of conversation, it doesn't seem like malice to me.

I'm a male and I've given this response before when someone asked me "have you read about X?" In turn, they gave a brief background because they weren't aware of the full scope of my knowledge on the subject.

If instead I had said: "Yes, I've worked on many projects involving X and I wrote a dissertation on it," then there would be no need for explanation.

It seems more like inexperience with the other gender and conflating assumptions in the workplace.

[jrs235]

Your scenario sounds okay and reasonable.

However, I think the issue was laughing off the affirmative response. Why would you laugh at the response unless you don't believe someone?

Did they laugh off your affirmative answer?

[stagbeetle]

> Why would you laugh at the response unless you don't believe someone?

It's a way to try and break the awkwardness of just a one-word answer. We can't tell the tone this man had, or how the author perceived that tone, just from the writing, but I like to use Hanlon's razor liberally.

I think it's a moot point using only one datum, especially one as subjective as experience, in argument though.