1. 2- Culture and Gender Understanding Culture & Communication
How Culture Affects Communication
Understanding Gender and Communication
How Gender Affects Communication

2. Santiago Ventura’s Story
“…Culture acts as a lens through which we make sense of communication behavior.” (Floyd)
How does gender act in the same way?

3. Write a short description of your culture.
Take A Moment
Write a short description of your culture.

4. Vocabulary
1. Culture- learned and shared symbols, language, values, and norms that distinguish one group from another
2. Society- a group of people who share a given culture

5. Defining Culture In-Groups & Acquiring a Culture Out-Groups
We identify with the In-Group
We identify as being different from the Out-Group
Stress resulting from being in the Out-Group is called “culture shock”
Many prefer those that are similar to them or In-Groups
*Ethnocentrism
Learned culture is called “enculturation”
Culture is not always based on ethnicity (heritage)
Culture is not always based on nationality (country)
Culture is determined by who, where, and how we were raised
Ethnicity/ Nationality:

6. Components of Culture
Symbols- something that represents an idea (national symbols, metaphor, and historical references)
Language- Passes culture on from one generation to the next (Commonly spoken today in order: Chinese, Spanish, and English) Wade Davis Speech:
Values- standards for judging good, desirable, and beautiful (equality, material wealth, practicality and efficiency, achievement, democracy, enterprise, choice)
Norms- rules or expectations that guide behavior Examples: shaking hands, eye contact, greetings, etiquette)

7. Co-Cultures
Groups of people who share values, customs, and norms related to mutual interests or characteristics beside nationality.
Examples of Basis: Generation (Teenagers), Ethnicity (Hispanic), Religion (Muslim), Interests (Hackers), Physicality (Deaf)
Many people identify with several co-cultures

8. Communicating
People with different cultures don’t just communicate differently- they think differently.
“Similarity assumption” presumes that most people think the way we do without questioning it.
“Cultural awareness” questions cultural assumptions.
A matriarchy:

9. Seven Cultural Differences (Hofstede & Hall)
Individualism/ Collectivism
Low-Context/ High-Context
Low-Power Distance/ High-Power Distance
Masculine/ Feminine
Monochronic/ Polychronic
Uncertainty Avoidance
Codes

10. Individualistic/Collectivism
I- primary responsibility to self.
C- primary responsibility to family, community, and employer.
I- importance is on the individual/ self reliance
C- importance is on the needs of others/ duty & loyalty
I- US, Canada, Great Britain, Australia
C- Korea, Japan, Africa, Latin America

12. Low-Context/ High-Context
L- people are direct
H- speak less
L- value expression
H- maintain harmony
L- value opinion
L- value persuasion
H- opinions conveyed in subtle/ nonverbal ways
L- more critical
H- reluctance/ avoidance of “No”

13. Low-Power/ High-Power
L- respect equality
H- respect power
H- power is distributed
L- no person is better than another
H- some groups deserve more power
L- relationships for Love
H- relationships for Status
L- question authority
L- more autonomy

14. Masculine/ Feminine
M- value traditional masculine values (ambition, achievement, material wealth)
F- value feminine values (nurturance, quality of life, and service to others)
M- value sex-specific roles
F- sex-specific roles are differentiated
M- US

15. Monochronic/ Polychronic
M- time is a commodity
P- time is fluid and flexible
M- time is tangible
P- time is measured by quality
M- time demonstrates power
P- Do not prioritize punctuality

16. Uncertainty Avoidance
Extent to which people avoid situations that are unstructured, unclear, or unpredictable
H- unwilling to take risks
L- open to new situations
H- fear of failure
L- more accommodating
H- favor rules and laws
L- prefer few rules
US- midpoint on scale

17. Codes Idioms- a phrase with figurative meaning (break a leg)
Jargon- language used in co-cultures or in technical professions (ecchymosis/ bruise)
Gestures- movements that express ideas (Peace sign)

18. Masculine, feminine, and androgynous Roles Biologically male or female
A broad term encompassing the influences of gender roles, biological sex, and sexual orientation.
Gender
Masculine, feminine, and androgynous
Roles
Biologically male or female
Sex
Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and asexual
Orientation

19. Gender Roles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py5X_biBOYk -Media
-Friends

20. Biological Sex Male- XY chromosome Female- XX chromosome
Transgendered- conflict between the sex you were born and the sex you feel
Transsexual- living as opposite sex
Chromosomal disorder (XO or XXY)
Intersex- sexual organs do not match appearance

21. Gender and Verbal Communication
Expressive (establish closeness through talk) and Instrumental Talk (means to solve problems)
Language and Power (style reflects superiors and subordinates/ talking, interrupting, direction, opinion)
Linguistic Style- patterns of speech (pronouns, emotions, adverbs)

22. Nonverbal
Touch and Body Movement (amount, age, sex, space all change based on sex)
Emotions (women express more happy emotions/ men more negative)
Affection (women more nonverbal- other than that no differentiation)