Theory 10: Muted Group Theory

Analytical Text: Men underestimate women

There is a different when a person who is able to speak and people try to listen to them with a person who can speak and not heard. Similarly, in the case of women, as the opposite sex of men, are considered as muted group as their words and thoughts are not heard. Cheris Kramarae (1974) claimed that whoever is considered as muted; they are seen as black holes to someone else’s life. Kramarae (1974) also see women as a group of people who is at tremendous disadvantage in male dominant world. This shows that there is inequality between two different sexes, where man control the mode of communication and women remained silent in the society. Thus, muted group theory analyze why women are muted in the society and figure out how to make women be heard by men and society.

Men and women both have different perception where they shaped experiences differently and thus miscommunication between two sexes is likely to occur (Kramarae, 1974). The reason for miscommunication is that they both speak two different language and male only talk in dominant way. Edwin Ardener (1970) also finds out the reason for women’s muteness which is due to lack of power in the society since the world is dominated by male. Kramarae (1974) sees language is originally constructed for men. Symbolically, language is a too for men to devalue and oppress women. Men do not accept any other language except the one that they have created.

Furthermore, men do not bother to actually listen and understand what women say because their perception on women’s thought is useless and to think about it is a waste of time. They also do not want to acknowledged women’s language because they are afraid that they have to give some power to women (Kramarae, 1974) Hence, it is unquestionable that men find it difficult to understand when the other groups speak because they do not even make an effort to understand what people actually said. Whereas for women, in order for them to be heard, they struggle to understand how to fit in and speak as what men tend to listen. However, they have to suffer for their consistent effort to be heard and wonder if they said was right.

Juschka (2001) once said that “Maltz and Broker (1982) compare the situation in cross-sex communication with that in interethnic communication, in which communication problems are understood as personality clashes or interpreted through ethnic stereotypes.” Maltz and Broker (1982) also figured out some potential sources of misunderstanding between sexes in terms of language use. One of them is different interpretation of men and women on the meaning of questions. They assume that women use question to preserve the conversation between them but men see questions as to seek for answer and information. Also, in terms of problems sharing and advice giving, women share their problems actually to support each other and listen mutually, however men act as an expert to offer an advice instead of sympathizing others.

However, Em Griffin (2012) once said that “Kramarae thinks Tannen’s apology for men’s abuse of power is naïve at best. She notes that men often ignore or ridicule women’s statements about the problems of being heard in a male-dominated society.”

In conclusion, women is seen as muted group as men underestimate them. Kramarae (1974) discovered that there is miscommunication between men and women because they have different perception about the world and women have lack of power in man dominant world. Griffin (2012) quotes the idea of Kramarae who thinks that Tannen’s naïve apology for men’s abuse of power.

REFERENCES:

Baer, J. (1998). Muted Group Theory by Cheris Kramarae. Retrieved on 14/04/2012 from http://www.colorado.edu/communication/meta-discourses/Papers/App_Papers/Baer.htm

Griffin, E. (2012). A First Look At Communication Theory. 8^th Edition. Pp. 460-462, 469-470. New York: McGraw Hill.

Juschka D. M. (2001). Feminism in the Study of Religion: A Reader. Pp. 35. Great Britain.