“Good morning, what can I get for you?” The waitress asked, eyes smiling, pen pressed to her notepad eager for a response.

My heart began to pound faster, that gut wrenching panic in the pit of my stomach. I could feel the tension rising, taking control of my vocal cords, but there was nothing I could do.

“Are you trying to think of how to say it in English?” the waitress asked, giving me a sympathetic smile.

My eyes began to well up with tears.

Desperate, I looked across to my fiancé, with that familiar defeated look. After five years he knew the drill, an aversion tactic was necessary. He spoke up saving me from the silence.

“Juls will have the pancakes. And I’ll have the same,” he said quickly, charming her with his accent.

I tried to take a deep breath and nervously slurped my orange juice. A lump formed in my throat, replacing the debilitating tension in my vocal cords. I fought back the tears and felt like a huge failure again.

The ability to communicate effectively is a necessary skill in life which it is often taken for granted. For people who have a stammer, even the most mundane speaking situation can evoke the fear, panic and emotional torment I felt that day in the restaurant.

Stammering, or stuttering, is defined as a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the person who stammers is unable to produce a sound (World Health Organization, 2006). Stammering is often a disorder which is suffered in silence. Unlike other physical disability, listeners may remain unaware that a person has a stammer until the hesitation, blocking, repetition or prolongation of words becomes apparent. Often, as in my experience above, listeners may become impatient when a hesitation or a block occurs.No matter what your gender, living with a stammer is often difficult. Joseph Sheehan, a speech and language therapist noted that stammering is like an iceberg. Above the surface, all the listener notices is the physical act of stammering: the hesitation, blocks and repetitions. However, the person who stammers must deal with the underlying emotions involved with stammering: fear, guilt, denial, shame, isolation and avoidance. (Interiorised Stammering, 2002)

Stammering awareness remains sporadic due to the fact that people who stammer are a relative minority, making up only 1% of the population. Although this seems like a low percentage, a number of famous names have made up that number including: Winston Churchill, King George VI and James Earl Jones. These famous men seem to make up the modern day face of stammering. But where are all the women?

Speech and language therapist, Rachel Everard, who is a woman who stammers, has noted that spontaneous recovery may be a factor. “Research shows that almost an equal number of young boys and girls start stammering, however, for some reason, a lot more little girls seem to spontaneously recover.”

There is little information on the unique challenges faced by adult women who stammer. Simply, women who stammer seem to face all the everyday challenges of being female, while also dealing with the added difficulties which come with being a person who stammers.

As women, we all know the difficulties that come with our gender; probably most notably having to deal with our monthly menstrual cycles. We are aware that our emotional and physical state can be ruled by our monthly menstrual cycles but what effects does it have on our speech?

In people who stammer, often their frequency or degree of stammering can be affected by their physical or emotional state. According to John Harrison, stammering is not only a physical act but rather an interactive system which involves our physical behaviours, emotions, perceptions, beliefs, intentions and physiological responses. For those who stammer, all aspects of their emotional, psychological and physical state influence their hexagon. (Harrison, 2008)

However, research has shown that even for women who do not stammer, the emotional and physical effects of menstruation can have an influence on speech. Speech disfluencies in all the women studied, both those who stammered and those who did not, were greater during pre-menstruation and were fewer during ovulation. The feelings of increased anxiety during pre-menstruation and the surge in confidence during ovulation were seen as contributing factors in this difference. (Silverman, 1975) This underlines the role which biological factors play in speech.

Another way in which women who stammer are adversely challenged is related to gender roles. Until the latter part of the 20th century, women were less likely to work outside the home and were more likely to maintain a supportive role in relationships. In regards to stammering, this traditional role allowed females who stammered to perhaps avoid speaking situations and become dependent on their partners to speak. In this way, women may have been able to hide their stammer from others, but were still with negative inner thoughts regarding stammering.

Similarly, the role of mother may also have an emotional impact on women who stammer. As the primary caregiver, they may worry about how their speech will impact their children. Often there is the underlying fear that their children will develop a stammer. Although stammering does seem to cluster in families, where a parent has a stammer it is still unlikely that any of their children would stammer. I believe this is the most paramount concern for any parent who has a stammer no matter what their gender.

Lastly, in addition to the pressures felt by women in traditional roles, women who stammer also face career challenges. People who stammer often feel as though their career prospects are limited because of their speech. A survey conducted on over 200 people who stammer showed that 70% felt that having a stammer decreases one’s chances of being hired or promoted. (Hood, 2004) Although this number may be due to one’s inner perception of their stammering, the ability to communicate in a work environment is paramount.

Women who stammer face the double whammy of not only having a stammer, but also feeling the same career pressures as other women in male dominated working environments. As one woman I spoke with said, “Women who stammer may seem more of a risk to some employers and therefore may be less likely to be promoted compared to her male counterpart.” Perhaps for this reason, women who stammer seem to have a tendency to go into professions which primarily female dominated and help others, such as speech therapy and teaching. (Kari Kelso, 2002)

Whether as a career or just volunteering, women who stammer seem to take on an active role in helping others in stammering treatments. Although there is no cure for stammering, many people who stammer find various speech therapies and techniques useful in helping them deal with their speech. I believe that helping others in this way empowers women who stammer, in people who stammer in general, to pursue their goals in all aspects of life.

Although women who stammer are a minority within a minority, in more ways than one, they need not be silent.

By helping others and promoting awareness we can have our voices heard and make a change.

(Sources of Reference: www.apps.who.int/classifications/apps/icd/icd10online/?gf90.htm+f985;   www.stutteringhelp.org/DeskLeftDefault.aspx?tabid=164, tabid=443;   Harrison, J. C. (2008). Redefining Stuttering:  What the struggle to speak is really about (12 ed.). San Francisco: Words That Work;   Hood, J. F. (2004). The impact of stuttering on employment opportunities and job performance. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 29 (4), 255-273;   www.stammering.org/interiorised_stammering.html#iceberg; www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad5/papers/women.html;   Zimmerman, S. a. (1975) Speech Fluency Fluctuations during Menstrual Cycles. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research , 18, 202-206. )

 

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Julia Ammon holds a degree in English and Communication (journalism). She is an American expat, currently based in Essex, UK. She has successfully taken control of her stammer through sheer determination and strong desire to change.She is also an active member of the McGuire Programme. She loves the colour pink!