Gender & Comm Test 1 Study Guide:

The Three Sexes:

1. Male

2. Female

3. Intersex

Cisgender: someone that fits to the social expectations on gender

Intricacies on Non-Verbal Communication: Includes body language, vocal cues, use of space and distance, touch, color, clothing, and artifacts

Gender Identity:

• We all have gender differences

• Rules and standards are taught and that is how we perceive gender identity

• We are places into gender by social class, race and identity

• Men and Women are taught to be very similar/apparently identical

• Experiences reflect your view on gender

• Communication is important, we perceive people based on their gender (Personal, social, professional)

Gender/Sex:

• Sex is a descriptor of the genetic/biological code for individuals (bio. differences)

• Gender is related to bio. sex (psych., social, and cultural features)

• Androgynous people embody masc. and fem. qualities

• Sex=male, female and intersex

• Gender= fem., masc., androgynous, cisgender and gender non-conforming

Paralanguage: All vocal cues

1. pitch

2. inflection (change)

3. volume

4. quality

5. rate

   • enunciation, pronunciation, articulation

Ethnicity: A term used to refer to people that share a cultural history

Performing Gender: Gender being performed through action and behavior

Model of Communication: Involves the sender, encoding the message, transmission, decoding the message, receiving and feedback

Essentialism: Assuming all members are alike because they have one quality in common

Gender Schema Theory: builds on social-learning theory and cognitive-development theory. The theory states that when a child has gained an appropriate understanding of gender, the child will use it as a way to organize gender as it is being performed.

Spiral of Silence: If you are with people and they say something you disagree with, you stay silent out of reaction.

Social Learning Theory: same-sex models at home and in the media, with reinforcement for sex-appropriate behaviors from important people, lay down a foundation for sex-typed behavior.

Biological Theories of Gender:

• Differences in chromosomes: xx or xy

• Differences in Hormones: men producing 10 to 20 times more testosterone

• Differences in the brain: no consensus

• Assuming gender is linked to sex

• Gender binary is “hard-wired”

• Two areas of differences: chromosomes and brain development

• approach in bio. theories with skepticism

Biological Theories: the idea that biological sex determines gender differences.

Psychological Theories of Gender:

• Identification Theory: identification with the same-sex parent is how children will become familiar with gendered behavior

• Social-Learning Theory: Sex roles are learned because of social conditions

• Psychodynamic Theory: Family dynamics will influence gender development

• Cognitive-development theory: children developing in stages a concept of what is feminine and masculine

• Gender Schema Theory: children taking in appropriate cultural definitions of gender, using those definitions as ways to organize other information about gender

Standpoint Theory: Social positions shaping knowledge and understanding the world

Symbolic Interaction Theory: Suggests that significant others play key roles in fostering our sense of self. When we interact with other people, we discover how people perceive us and what their expectations for us are

Reflected Appraisal Theory: the mirror like image we derive from our contacts with others and then project it into our future experiences.

Critical/cultural Theories:

• Different cultures have different gender arrangements and identifications

• Your standpoint or position influences your own definition and thought behind gender

• Cultures exist on a masc-fem continuum

Queer Theory: identity is not fixed, but it is fluid. It faults viewpoints that are able to present identity categories reflective of our society’s judgements of what is normal and not normal including the policing of the identity

• performing gender

• assuming everyone is straight

• assuming women are married when they get to a certain age

• women dressing masculine & men dressing feminine

Intersectionality: Theories of identity and oppression, the theory of identity and of oppression which shows how different facets of our identity influence each other

The Male Gaze: depicts women in a sexualized way that is directed to the heterosexual male gaze

Sexist Metaphors: "

• “she’s a dog”

• “he’s a dick”

• “she’s a bitch”

Schoolgirl Fetish: Women being sexualized in uniforms by sexually aroused men

Self-Esteem: The way you see yourself within the measure of your values (attitude and feeling)

Self-Image: the person you think of yourself to be (physical and attitude)

Body Image: Your thoughts and feelings on your body

The Princess Effect: Princesses making their way into girls heads and feeding into their self-esteem

Body Dysmorphia: someone spending a lot of time worrying about their flaws within their appearance

The Five Dimensions of Self-Esteem:

1. competence

2. worthiness

3. cognition

4. affect

5. stability

Message Substitution: replaces words with hand gestures (ex: shrugging shoulders and thumbs up)

Intersexed: people born with biological characteristics of both sexes, possessing ambiguous genitals

Symbolic Annihilation: male generic language (ex: bachelors, dude)

Differences/Characteristics of non-verbal feminine and masculine communities:

• women have been conditioned to be affiliating. They display responsive nonverbal cues such as smiles, eye contact, and direct body orientation to communicate their involvement with and have empathy for another

• men have been conditioned to focus on status and power, use gestures and vocal cues to increase the strength of their ideas and establish their dominance

• women display more general immediacy behaviors

• women use fewer gestures when interacting with each other, their gesturing increases when they are with men

• women are more likely to engage in same-gender touching

• men usually touch to direct others, assert their dominance, or express sexual interest

• women touch children to be more care

• men touch children more for play

Genderlects: Different ways of speech or conversation that is used by a certain gender with features that mark them as masculine or feminine

Feminine Genderlects:

• Cooperative

• Maintains connections

• Communicates equality

• Demonstrates support

• Relationship focus

• Rapport talk (building and maintaining relationships)

• Support

• Highly Responsive

Masculine Genderlects:

• Competitive

• Establishes status

• Communicates dominance

• Demonstrates ability to solve problems

• Content focus

• Report talk

• Abstract

• Minimally Responsive

The Differences/Characteristics of Feminine and Masculine communities:

Gender Changes in Men:

• Taking on more relational roles

• Participating in caregiving activities

• Participating in home-planning activities

• Functioning as a sounding board

Gender Changes in Women:

• Taking on more task-related roles outside of the home

• Bringing office work home

• Increasingly responsible for economic well-being of family

Masculine Communication Cultures:

• Accentuate instrumental goals

• Support a hierarchal structure

• Tend toward individual orientation

• Foster competitive speech patterns

  Feminine Communication Culture:

• Accentuate expressive goals

• Support a less formal structure

• Tend toward collective orientation

• Foster cooperative speech patterns

Men Language:

• Portrayed as independent and serious

• Defined and described by activities and accomplishments

• Use competitive and adversarial speech

Women Language:

• Portrayed as decorative and emotional

• Defined and described by appearance and relationships

• Use collaborative and affiliated speech

Masculine Speech:

• Logical

• Concise

• Controlling

• Dominant

• Straightforward

• In-charge attitude

• Competition oriented

• Adversarial

• Focused on negotiation

• Attention-commanding

• Not necessarily connected to others’ ideas

• Quick in shifting topics

Feminine Speech:

• Emotional

• Verbose (using more words than needed)

• Vague

• Gentle

• Friendly

• Submissive attitude

• Collaboratively oriented

• Affiliative

• Focused on connection

• Unobtrusive

• Responsive to and built upon others’ ideas

• Gradual in shifting topics

Girls Games:

• Lead with cooperation and collaboration

• Used to create and maintain relationships

• Makes requests

• Responds accurately to feelings

Boys Games:

• Lead to competition and establishment of hierarchy

  How Men Listen:

• Attributed dynamism

• Considered strong

• Evaluated as more intelligent

• Habitually perceived to be initiators

• Cost in controlling roles

How Women Listen:

• Attributed uncertainly

• Considered pleasing

• Evaluated as less intelligent

• Habitually perceived to be receivers

• Cast in reactive roles

Heteronormativity: Describes how social institutions and policies reinforce the presumption that people are heterosexual

Up Talk: A way a sentence is said, raising the voice to make it sound like a question

Vocal Fry:

• If you use this, people will think your are smarter

• Can change how people perceive you

Report Talk: Used by men, it is absolute, forceful, and authoritative

Rapport Talk: Used by women, supportive and used to build relationships

The Double Bind: if you are one thing you cannot be the other (ex: if you’re pretty, you cant be smart)

Proxemics: The study of how we use and embody personal care (women needing more personal space than men, males being uncomfortable exhibiting liking cues)

Haptics: The use of touch in human communication is a potent nonverbal cue essential for growth and development (women initiating more hugs than men, men touching to direct others and show dominance)

Artifacts: Personal objects that are expressive of our identities and reveal to others how we see ourselves

Listening Vs. Hearing:

• Hearing: A natural physiological process. It’s passive, requiring little or any conscious effort

• Listening: A process not coming from our ears, but in our brain, consuming 50-80% of our communication during the day

The Perception Process: the process we use to make sense of the world.

• Who we are

• What we choose to see

Manspreading:

• Many people may see it is as “masculine” and consider it “not lady like” when a woman does it

Resignification: giving something a new meaning, ignoring the old meaning

Traitorous Identity: A member of a group criticizing the groups beliefs

Sexism: Occurs when we give characteristics to others because of their sex (unfair, inappropriate treatment)

Original Influence: your family