Our voices (like so many other female-attributes) are already held to an unattainable standard. The correlation between deep voices and professional success is unsettling. One journalist described vocal fry as a “ fingernails-on-the-blackboard phenomenon” and vapid. The result is a vibrato that many find unprofessional. This double standard manifests in vocal fry, which occurs when women attempt to lower their vocal registers.

Men prefer female partners with high-pitched voices and female leaders with low pitched voices. Yet, people with deeper voices are perceived as dominant and successful, and more often than not land coveted leadership positions. Women are expected to have higher-pitched voices. Though both men and women fry their voices, the phenomenon almost exclusively hinders women.

It is the “ fluttering of the vocal cords, resulting in a popping or creaking sound at the bottom of the vocal register.” Based on media discussions, vocal fry is not something one should wish to possess. Vocal fry is the term coined to describe the oscillating sound heard in speech. Weeks later I heard the term “vocal fry” for the first time. What did he mean? Why was she hard to listen to? He offered no explanation. “She’s just hard to listen to.” Again, I pressed. I overheard a male student talking about her. Not only are we expected to be conventionally attractive and intelligent (but not overpowering), we also have to worry about the natural tenor of our voices.Ī few weeks later I was filling out the evaluation for an adjunct professor’s course I had taken that semester. This is a real concept women in the workplace have to contend with. One of the men I was with mentioned that he found the female attorney “off-putting” and “shrill” and 'he couldn't even pay attention to what she was saying.' Adjusting my voice, I asked him what he meant. My questioning was met with a long-winded defensive non-answer. After the hearing I debriefed with my colleagues. A female attorney argued on behalf of the defendant.

Last spring I attended a hearing in federal court.

Hillary clinton voice change