Gendered humor: A sociolinguistic inquiry

Guided by the idea that gender is a cultural phenomenon (i.e., Maltz & Borker, 1982), gender as power (i.e., Henley & Kramarae, 1991; Henley & LaFrance, 1984) and of the leading humor theories (i.e., Eysenck’s tripartite humor model – affective, cognitive and conative – that subsumes Superiority, Relief and Incongruity Theories), the present quantitative-qualitative study utilized dynamic sociological approach to analyze and describe how humor is gendered among 240 (equal distribution of male, female, gay and lesbian) middle-class Tagalog university students, ages 18 to 25 years old. The participants answered the questionnaires on the following dimensions of sense of humor: humor styles, humor perceptions (i.e., appreciation, comprehension, offensiveness), humor target, humor production and reproduction, and humor competence. Thirty-two participants (equal gender distribution), from the original 240 participants, also worked on a 21-day humor journal, watched and rated the video-clips of stand-up comedy performances of four comedians, each representing a specific gender, and participated in a semi-structured interview. Participants’ dimensions of sense of humor were described, compared and contrasted among genders to illustrate how humor as a discourse mode enables individuals to celebrate their values, perspectives and multi-faceted experiences inclusive of their societal, cultural and personal roles. A framework for analyzing the humor types, humor subjects, humor targets and humor structures on the participants’ produced, perceived and reproduced humor scripts was also developed and used in the study. Associations between gender and dimensions of sense of humor, and relationships among the dimensions were also explored. The study ended with a comprehensive description on how the dimensions of sense of humor across gender groups have become related and distinct from each other, which was illustrated through The Gendered Humor’s Model. Results pose a challenge to curriculum planners in the tertiary education and to gendered humor scholars as well. Implications to gender and development were also raised