The Muted Communication Theory

Running head: THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 1

Name

Institution

THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 2

Outline

Introduction

• This essay will be analyzing different scholarly materials that echo the sentiments that

were addressed by The Muted Theory.

• The theory claimed that there are a marginalized group of people in the society that have

been denied a voice.

• Women are the most affected group, and this paper will strive to prove this using the

aforementioned articles and the steps that have been undertaken to change the situation.

• This paper will critically evaluate the theory and its relation to women.

Body

1. The Muted Theory

• The Muted Theory was created by anthropologists Shirley and Edwin Ardener.

• The communication theory claimed that women in the society had been denied a voice.

• Women cannot express themselves freely for fear of being reprimanded by men.

2. Sidelining of women when it comes to politics

• Women are not given the same platform as men are granted when it comes to politics.

• They are viewed as people who are incapable of leading.

3. Women being abused in workplaces

• When it comes to workplaces, women are abused and objectified by men.

• They are not offered promotion when they do deserve it.

THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 3

• There is no one that they can complain to.

4. Women are not provided with enough platforms to share their ideas and views.

• Female authors were not allowed to air their views and ideas publicly.

• They could only do so by publishing the ideas using pseudonyms.

• Not enough has been done to ensure that books and articles written by women reach a

wider audience.

Conclusion

• This paper has proved that women have been sidelined and muted in the society.

• Steps should be taken to ensure that they get a voice and become equal with their male

counterparts.

• Everyone should create awareness on the adversities of muting women.

Introduction

In the year 1975, Edwin and Shirley Ardener created the Muted Group Theory. This is a

theory that focuses on the aspect of communication and how specific groups or non-dominant

people in the society have been subdued and debarred. The non-dominant people that Shirley

Ardener was referring to were none other than women. Women are regarded as inferior beings

that the society has chosen to stifle their voices and rights of self-expression. The theory argues

that in the United States men are the dominant ones and when it comes to communication and

self-expression, they have all the right and ability to do so without any hindrance. Therefore, this

paper will critically evaluate the theory and its relation to women.

Analysis

THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 4

The Muted Theory has played a significant role in explaining to people and making them

understand the plight of women in the society when it comes to their voices being muffled.

Research carried out through the years proves that language was coined by men. This is the

reason as to why men have always been overshadowing their female counterparts when it comes

down matters of speech and self-expression. From the fact that the men are the ones that created

language, they tend to muffle the women whenever they wish to share their ideas. The women

have been denied the right to what they can say and the location in which they are allowed to say

it ((Kramarae, 2005). Turner (1992) analyzed the different words that are believed to be have

been coined by both men and women of which the results supported the Muted Theory. In the

research analysis, both female and male student were required to coin a random word that was

later analyzed. The results showed that the words the male students came up with were ones that

showed capability. In contrast to this finding, the words coined by female proved that they were

submissive which proves that they are muted.

As it has been stated in the previous paragraph, in one way or another, over the years,

women have been sidelined when it comes societal issues such as politics. They have always

been regarded as persons whose ideas and contributions do not matter. In addition to that, they

have still been seen as incapable of leading or holding any political offices. However, this

sidelining is not only visible in politics but also in schools and universities. Fotaki (2013) asserts

that women in business and management schools claim of unfairness in their workplaces.

Through interviews that she conducted on different women who belong to university faculties,

she found out that the male counterparts were mistreating them. These women had to deal with

unfair workloads, segregation from networks, not offered promotions, objectification, being

silenced and undermined.

THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 5

Similarly, women are being muffled in the American public address. Most of the

academic books and articles that are reviewed in public press are those that have been written by

men. According to Vonnegut (1992), the year 1830 is the year in which women began to make

speeches in public gatherings. However, before that, they were still writing articles for

newspapers, plays for the theater and poems. To ensure that they had an audience, most of the

publications were made under male pseudonyms. Printing press at that moment in history did not

support written works done by females as they were regarded as unqualified. The women books

that made it to publications also faced another problem after that; they were not supplied. Non-

supply of books to schools and learning institutions is another way in which women

communication has been muted by the male-dominated society.

In another article titled, “Speaking from Silence: Methods of Silencing and Resistance,”

the muting of women in the communication world has also been discussed extensively. Their

male counterparts control language and the media. The literal works and voices of women are

missing in the media scene. When it comes to television and radio airtime, very few female

presenters and journalists have been offered the platform to share their views on critical issues

and ideas with the rest of the people (Houston and Kramarae, 1991). Nevertheless, women have

been able to mobilize themselves in a bid to break the existing barrier (Kramarae, 2003). Women

have come up with the support groups and organization press that will ensure their voices get to

be heard in one way or another.

When it comes to supporting each other in a bid to free themselves from the demeaning

that they have been undergoing, older women have been doing a better job. These women have

been able to empower themselves in a way that they can cope with the abuse that they have faced

(Seaver, 1996). Older women have undergone numerous cases of abuse from men who view

THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 6

them as nonbeneficial to the society. The women that Seaver studied under the uplifting program

showed strength as they were able to overcome the bad experiences that the nation had put them

through (1996). The model of the society had placed the male counterparts above the female, and

this was the main reason as to why women resorted to being quiet and keeping to themselves

(Wall & Gannon-Leary, 1999, Wood, 2005, Griffen, et al., 2004). The society was modeled in a

way that men regard themselves as the superior beings and women should be confined to

quietness and agreeing to everything proposed by them

Conclusion

From all the information discussed above, it is evident that The Muted Theory was

indeed right in its claim that women have no voice in the society. All the books that were used as

sources of information have been able to prove that women have undergone demeaning and

abuse which should be stopped. Women are the backbone of our society, and they have a right to

be heard and appreciated. More books by female authors need to be published and distributed to

schools and higher facilities of learning. Women should also be given the right to publish their

works in magazines and newspapers so that they can share their ideas with the society. When it

comes to the political sphere, women too have the right to lead. They should be given more

chances to express their views on how they can make the community and country at large in the

places that men have failed. Women are good leaders and should be allowed to prove this by

being offered the platform to do so. Distinctively, everyone should strive to create awareness on

the importance of men treating females as their equals and not adversaries. Both men and women

can work together and help the society to be one that they both can be proud of.

THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 7

THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 8

References

Fotaki, M. (2013). No Woman is Like a Man (in Academia): The Masculine Symbolic Order and

the Unwanted Female Body. Organization Studies, 34 (9), 1251-1275. DOI:

10.1177/0170840613483658

Griffen, C. L., et al. (2004). Readings in Feminist Rhetorical Theory. In Cheris Kramarae (pp. 8-

44). Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Houston, M., & Kramarae, C. (1991). Speaking from Silence: Methods of Silencing and of

Resistance. Discourse & Society, 2 (4), 387-399. DOI: 10.1177/0170840613483658

Kramarae, C. (2005). Muted group Theory and communication: Asking dangerous questions.

Women and Language, 28 (2), 55-61, 72. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/198819476?accou

tid=13605

Kramarae, C. (2003). “Women, Work and Computing / Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in

Computing.” Review of medium_being_reviewed title_of_work_reviewed_in_italics.

NWSA Journal, 15(2), 207-210. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from Research Library.

(Document ID: 423976331).

Seaver, C. (1996). Muted lives: Older battered women. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 8(2), 3-

21. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/201698031?accou

ntid=13605\

Turner, L. H. (1992). An analysis of words coined by women and men: Reflections on the muted

group theory and Gilligan’s model. Women and Language, 15 (1), 21. Retrieved from

THE MUTED COMMUNICATION THEORY 9

http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/198810996?account

id=13605

Vonnegut, K. S. (1992). Listening for women's voices: Revisioning courses in American public

address. Communication Education, 41(1), 26-39. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/62937952?acco

untid=13605

Wall, C.J. & Gannon-Leary, P. (1999). “A Sentence Made by Men: Muted Group Theory

Revisited.” The European Journal of Women's Studies, Vol.6, 1999: 21-29

Wood, J. T. (2005). Feminist standpoint theory and muted group theory: Commonalities and

divergences. Women and Language, 28 (2), 61-64, 72. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/198819291?acc

ountid=13605

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