Muted Group Theory TIP

Jessica Ross

Origins

. Originated with the work of Edwin and Shirley Ardener in 1975

. Edwin noted that groups in society such as women, the poor, and people of color have to work in communication systems established by dominant groups

. They focused of the case of women

. They realized that not only do women have to deal with difficulties of languages not made for them, but their experience are represented through male experience

Continued…

. Shirley noted that women’s mutedness is the counterpart of men’s deafness

. “Words which continually fall upon deaf ears may, of course, in the end become unspoken, or even unthought” (S. Arden)

. Muted groups are inarticulate by the dominant group’s language system, which is directly from their world view and experience

. Articulation for the muted group are indirect and broken

. This way of thinking is especially true to the English language because it was created by male clerics and academics

Contiued…

.Hilary Callan suggests that female nurses have difficulties with assuming authority because they experience a tension between elements of their self-definition

Helen Sterk states that although giving birth is the female experience, for many women, it is managed in a way that they feel removed because of the doctors language

Makeup of Muted Groups

. The theory can be applied to any nondominant group

. In the U.S. and other cultures, the society privileges specific characteristics and perspectives

. Dominant groups- the group that holds the power in a given culture

. Groups that coexist with dominant group are generally subordinate

Cont…. Men may be part of a muted group as well

(nursing fathers)

. Fathers were more involved in teaching

children in the colonial period

Continued…

Two terms must be clarified

.sex- biological category divided into male and female

.gender- social category consisting of the learned behaviors that constitute masculinity and femininity for a given culture

The terms sex and gender are often blurred because women are socialized to be feminine and men are encouraged to be masculine

Assumptions

‘ Women perceive the world differently than men because of women’s and men’s different experiences and activities rooted in the division of labor

.Because of their political dominance, men’s system of perception is dominant, impeding the free expression of women’s alternative models of the world

. In order to participate in society, women must transform their own models in terms of the received male system of expression

Assumption #1

. The world is a different place for for men/women and their experiences differ

. The explanation for this is that the division of labor that allocates work in the basis of sex which began in Western countries in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

This separation led to two separate spheres: The conceptualization of public and private came about; and the family was classed as private life

. This separation resulted in the women’s role in the home or private life, and men’s role in the workplace or private life

Continued…

. The initial division also created Gender Polarization which is viewing men and women as polar opposites

Ex. From birth male/female babies are treated differently

. Also, women who work are also expected to take care of the home

Second shift- the phenomenon of working women putting in eight hours on the job and another day’s work at home

Assumption #2

. Men are the dominate group

. Men are in charge of naming and labeling social life, leaving women’s experience often unnamed as a result

. Women then have difficulties talking about their experiences

These problems are not the result of women’s inadequacies but rather are caused by the unresponsiveness of the language women have to express themselves

Continued…

. Men’s political dominance allows their perceptions to be dominant

. This forces alternative perceptions and women into a subordinate position

Women’s communication is constrained because of this subordinate position

Overall, men’s experiences are dominant and women and people of color need to subordinate their own experiences to the extent that they can in order to partake in social/organizational success

Assumption #3

. Speaks to the process of translation that women must go through in order to participate in social life

. Women must conceptualize a thought and then scan the vocabulary, which is really better suited to men’s thinking, for the best words for encoding that thought

. Women’s groups engage in a great deal of overlaps and simultaneous speaking because they are helping one another cope with the language system that is not well suited to their tasks

. Women collaborate on storytelling.

Continued…

. Some problems inherent in the translation process are highlighted by examining instances when women’s experiences become part of the general vocabulary

Ex. Sexual Harassment

. Labeling the word suggest some coping strategies and recognizes the seriousness

Personal Experience

I am part of an organization called Deacons Union. It is a group of teenagers who meet every month. We have an overall congregation which is full of men and very few women. Every year we elections for an executive board. It was obvious that every year the board was all male. Two years ago I decided to run for President and I knew I would be the best candidate. I also knew I would be preaching to “deaf ears”. I had a lot to of things to offer them but I knew my “experience” wouldn’t be heard. I was in a male dominated organization and my voice was not clearly heard. Eventually I ended up winning two years later when more girls joined the organization.

Question

Do you think with the help of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, women and other subordinate groups can have and equal voice with men seeing as the sites are not overpowered with men?