If you work in a girls school like I do, you get accustomed to some of your students ending every sentence as if they are asking a question. Perhaps that's why this article from The Atlantic - "Why Middle-School Girls Sometimes Talk Like Babies" - stood out to me as I perused my Twitter feed this morning.
I followed up on the article, speaking to a member of our own theater department about the issue. As I thought, even a girl with a high-pitched voice can be coached to use it more effectively and authoritatively. She also agreed that many times there are other issues behind the baby-voice, things like a lack of self-confidence or timidity. Furthermore, she agreed with the article's author that some girls/women have learned to use that voice to get what they want. Even our office assistant admitted that when she was much, much younger, she knew that using that sweet little voice might work to her advantage. Fortunately, her mother quickly told her to stop it. However, my colleague also reminded me that "the voice" is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it can convey a sense of friendliness or approachability that puts some people at ease (especially when speaking to large groups).
For the most part however, I agree with the author that girls need to take control of their own voice and learn to convey confidence and expertise. Some may think that's unfair, but in most cases, I believe it's hard to be taken seriously when every sentence you utter ends on a high note.
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