Gender &Communication

Courtney Ralston, Charlotte Stein, and Brittani Everett

Boys vs. Girls…

In our presentation of Gender and Communication we will explain to you what Genderlect, Standpoint, and Muted Group Theories are.

Genderlect The theorist behind Genderlect is Deborah Tannen, a

University Professor and Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University (Tannen, 2009)

She has concluded that men and women often talk past each other.

“Genderlect” means gender dialect. The term was not coined by Tannen but it “nicely

captures her belief that masculine and feminine styles of discourse are best viewed as two distinct cultural dialects rather than an inferior or superior ways of speaking.” (Griffin, 2009)

Cross cultural encounter without crossing a geographical boundary

Two different cultural dialects rather than inferior or superior

GenderlectMEN

Men are not comfortable in serious conversations

Men tend toward independence

Men are concerned with status and power Where do they stand

on the hierarchy of competitive accomplishments.

WOMEN Women are

comfortable in serious conversations

Women tend toward intimacy

Women want to have a communion with others

GenderlectMEN

Want to be respected by their peers Asymmetrical status

WOMEN Want to be liked by

their peers Symmetrical

connection

GenderlectRAPPORT TALK

Typical conversational style of women which seeks to establish a connection with others

REPORT TALK Typical monologue

style of men which tends to demand attention, convey information, and even arguments

StorytellingMEN

While in serious conversations men often talk of themselves as “heroes”, acting alone to overcome great obstacles.

When in light hearted conversations they often tell jokes in a “top that one” fashion.

WOMEN

Women often tell stories of others in an effort to bring people together.

If a woman tells a story of herself, it is usually one of her doing something foolish. This down plays her to her audience and puts them on the same level.

Listening Women maintain eye contact and

verbalize their attentiveness, “uh huh” and “right”. Men see this as agreeing which

threatens his “status” thus he doesn’t do it often appearing as if he isn’t listening.

Cooperative overlap- interruption is an agreeing nature Men see this as a power move to

central the conversation’ think then tend to change to a different topic Tending to irritate women because

it is unfinished or unresolved.

Theorists & Arguments Gilligan

Men-moral maturity>justice>what is right; the law

Women-more judgment>sensitivity to others; loyalty; self-sacrifice; peace making.

Tannen Men tend to offer selections while women just

want understanding.

Arguments against theory Even though women tend to do it better

both sexes place equal importance in comforting communication

Men understand quite well what women want but will only give in if it suits them and will not allow women to make them give in.

“Understanding the styles is a better way to overcome conflict” Cooperative overlap- interruption in an agreeing

nature Men see this as a power move to control the

conversation; men then tend to change to a different topic. This tends to irritate women because it is unfinished or unresolved.

Tag question: short question at the end of a declarative statement often used by women to lessen the sting of potential disagreement or invite friend by dialogue.

Men are more comfortable with conflict; women see it as a threat to being connected.

Sensitivity training for men/assertiveness training for women

“Understanding the styles is a better way to overcome conflict”

Standpoint Theorystandpoint is a place from which we view the world around us

“The social groups within which we are located powerfully shape what we experience and know as well as how we understand and communicate with ourselves, others, and the world.” (Griffin, 2009)

Standpoint Theory rose among several feminists including Dorothy Smith, Nancy Hartstock, Donna Haraway, Sandra Harding, Alison Wylie, and Patricia Hill Collins.

Standpoint theorists suggest… We can use the inequalities of gender, race, class, and sexual

orientation to observe how different locations within the social hierarchy tend to generate distinctive accounts of nature and social relationships...specifically… When people speak from the opposite sides of power relations,

the perspective for the lives of the less powerful can provide more objective view of the more powerful.

Standpoint Theory When people speak from the opposite sides of

power relations, the perspective for the lives of the less powerful can provide more objective view of the more powerful.

Equate “less powerful” to women who can create a feminist standpoint in they feel oppressed thus they claim that a feminist standpoint is more objective.

Proletarian standpoint impoverished poor who provide sweat equity

are societies ideal knowers, as long as they understand the class struggle in which they are involved. In English, the people doing the job know more about what is going on then the bosses with a capacity to grasp the underlying structures of the social order.

Standpoint Theory Gender is a cultural construction rather

than biological characteristics a system of meanings that

sculptures individuals standpoints by most males and females in desperate material, social, and symbolic circumstances.

Muted Group Theory"women perceive the world differently from men

because of women’s and men’s different experience and activities rooted in the division of

labor” (Kramarae, 1981)

-Cheris Kramarae

Muted Group Theorists The basis for muted group theory

comes from the work of Edwin Ardener and his wife Shirley, who realized that language was male dominated and the language hierarchy was crippling for women. However, the most noted theorist is Cheris Kramarae.

Kramarae, a sociolinguistic professor at the University of Illinois, in the Department of Speech Communication. (Kramarae, 1988)

Muted Group Theory Muted Group Theory- people with little

power who have trouble giving voice to their perceptions because they must re-encode their thoughts to make them understood in the public sphere—women. (Griffin, 2008)

Kramarae discovered that in children’s cartoons, women where rarely present and if they were a limited amount had a speaking role. Take Charlie Brown for example, I believe we all remember what his ADULT FEMALE teacher said, “Wah wah woh wah wah”.

MEN, MEN, MEN, women, MEN

Everything is male dominated, including : Language

“even playing field” is directed towards males because they play more field sports then women.

There are more than 200 derogatory terms for a loose female and only 22 for a man. (Griffin, 2008.)

Internet If you where to look up “Men of the

internet” you’d more than likely get people like Bill Gates but if you looked up “women of the internet” you’d get pornography.

3 points of Kramarae’s Muted Group Theory

First, men and women look at the world differently, and because they look at the world differently, they do different jobs in society.

Second, men are politically dominate and suppress women’s ideas and meaning though public support.

Finally, women must translate their meanings, thoughts, and their feelings into man’s terms in order to communicate.

Muted Group Theory

Women (and other minority groups) deal with the consequences of MGT daily, especially at work.

We’ve all heard of the phrase “glass ceiling” but to clarify how it affects this theory, a glass ceiling is barrier that prevents a competent, deserving person from advancing in their work place due to discrimination, especially sexism and racism.

Black hole of society

A concern of the feminists and theorists involved with MG is that if the minority is continued to be ignored it will eventually disappear completely.

Kramarae feels that men mean to be demeaning and hush women.

Paula Treichler and Cheris Kramarae’s Feminist

Dictionary

Appearance- a woman’s appearance is her work uniform…a woman’s concern with her appearance is not a result of brainwashing; it is a reaction to necessity.

Guilt- the emotion that stops women from doing what they may need to do to take care of themselves as opposed to everyone else.

Ms.-a form of address being adopted by women who want to be recognized as individuals rather than by being identified by their relationship with a man.

Pornography-pornography is the theory and rape is the action.

Parenthood- a condition which often brings dramatic changes to new mothers—”loss of job, income, and status; Severing of networks and social contacts; and adjustments to being a ‘housewife.’ Most new fathers do not report similar social dislocations. (Griffin, 2008)

MORE ON PAGE 462 of our textbook.

Feminism is the radical notion that women are

people.-Cheris Kramarae and Paula

Treichler

(Kramarae, 2010)

A sketch about how men portray women…

Table Monster

•Refers to the language of men and women and how different we speak, listen, and interpret things.

Genderlect

•Refers to how we view the world around us. How social groups see things differently, especially women and minorities.

Standpoint

•Women are kept nearly silent by men by the language we speak, our work place, and the internet. The world is male dominated

Muted Group