A powerpoint slide presentation on Muted Group Theory. A topic under Communication Theory subject. Does men and women being treated equally? What causes the silence in women? Is this theory considered bias?

1. Muted Group Theory

2. Origins of Muted Group Theory
• Started with the work of Edwin Ardener (1975) and
Shirley Ardener (1978)
• Groups making up the top end of social hierarchy
control the communication system of culture
• Lower-power group have to fit into the dominant
group.
• Cheris Kramarae (1981), published a book called
Women and Men Speaking: Frameworks for Analysis.

3. Makeup of
Muted Groups
• Any nondominant group: that coexist with the
dominant group do not have much power
• Example: Non-European group like African
Americans or Asian Americans, gays and
lesbians, the elderly, the lower class, disabled
people, and non-Christians

4. Differentiating Between Sex and Gender
Sex: Biological category
divided into male and
female
Gender category
consisting the learned
behaviors that constitute
masculity andfeminity
for a give vultie

5. Assumptions of Muted Group Theory
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.

6. First
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.

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

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

9. The Process of
Silencing
Ridicule
Ritual
Control
Harassment

10. Ridicule
• Men label women talk about meaningless
things and how they can spend so much time
talking.
• Houston & kramarae (1991), point out that
women’s speech is trivialized.
• Women are told that they have no sense of
humor, became an opportunity for ridicule.

11. Ritual
• Ritual have effect of silencing women, for
example, wedding ceremony.
• There are a number of aspects in a traditional
wedding ceremony that silence the bride.
• Where the bride were “delivered” to the groom,
by her father.
• The groom is seen on the right side which
means the higher status.

12. Control
• Based on research, men control many decisions.
• Media also controlled by men, thus women’s
talk and contributions get less coverage in
mainstream media.
• In communication, men interrupt women
affects more than women interrupt men
(DeFrancisco, 1991).

13. Harassment
• Street harassment (Holly Kearl, 2015)
• Women do not have free access to public
streets.
• Men dominate public spaces that women
walking there may receive verbal threats.
• Sexual harassment in working place too.

14. Strategies of Resistance
NAMING THE STRATEGIES OF
SILENCING
TO RECLAIM, ELEVATE, AND
CELEBRATE WOMEN’S DISCOURSE
WOMEN ALSO ARE CREATING A
NEW AND MORE REPRESENTATIVE
LANGUAGE TO CAPTURE THEIR
EXPERIENCES
NEW MEDIA THAT OFFER
OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE VOICE TO
THE MUTED GROUP

15. Integration
COMMUNICATION TRADITION:
SEMIOTIC | CRITICAL
COMMUNICATION CONTEXT:
CULTURAL
APPROACH TO KNOWING:
CRITICAL

16. Critique
Utility:
• Sometimes been criticized for the belief that all
men are the same and all women are the same.
• There are other factors besides gender,
including socioeconomic status, age, ethnic etc.
Test of Time:
• This theory has not been utilized much
• The theory assumptions has not been updated
although had been created long ago.

17. Closing
MGT is provocative and causes
us to think about biases in
language.
It shows what we accept and
reject from a speaker.
MGT also explains the problem
that women are facing in
speaking out.

18. Thank you