Pamela Fishman

Dominance model – Pamela Fishman

 

Dominance theory = states the imbalance between men and women is due to men being dominant and controlling in their interactions.

 

·         Fishman argues that women have to do the majority of the ‘conversational shitwork’ when interacting with men, because men, in their dominant role, are less concerned to do so.

 

·         For Fishman the differences in male and female conversational behaviour are explained in terms of expectations

 

·         Men are more dominant (linguistically) because that is what society expects

 

·         Pamela Fishman conducted an experiment and involved listening to 52 hours of pre-recorded conversations between young American couples.

 

·         5 out 6 subjects were attending graduate school; all subjects were either feminists or sympathetic to the women’s movement, were white, between the ages of 25 and 35.

 

·         She concentrated on two characteristics common in women’s dialect, including tag questions.

 

·         For females questions are an effective method of beginning and maintaining conversations with males.

 

·         Fishman argues that women use questions to gain conversational power rather than from lack of conversational awareness.

 

·         Men often do not respond to a declarative statement or only respond minimally.

 

·         She theorised the ‘division of labour in conversations’.

 

·         Her research stretched across the 70’s through the 90’s