Women's voices getting deeper

Don't forget Elizabeth Holmes (who turned out to be a massive Silicon Valley scammer) who also pretended her voice was much lower than it really is.

I spent a long time in academia giving seminars in majority male environments and trying to project authority to groups of students - my speaking voice is pitched fairly low (without me consciously thinking about it), which is interesting given that my singing voice is actually soprano!

(No vocal fry from me - I find it the vocal equivalent of nails down a blackboard.)

Back when I was in sales, mostly on the phone, I read loads on the subject and all the advice (particularly women specific) was to drop your voice a few semi tones and speak more slowly. This apparently gives of an authoritative vibe or some shit.

I then took up smoking (not to get more sales!), and my voice has 'naturally' got deeper. I definitely still use my lower voice in certain situations with men. In my mind, particularly during even mild conflict, the natural inclination to speak faster and higher pitched turns people off, leaning more towards the sexist 'shrill' and 'hysterical' terms rather than people taking you seriously. I do think there's something in it, rightly or wrongly.

I had to look up vocal fry as I only know it as a singing technique. I heard some examples and it mostly sounds like that stereotypical middle America teen/early 20s, Paris Hilton type wannabe. I can see why it would mean you're not taken seriously!

Margaret Thatcher seems to have deliberately adopted a lower speaking voice but she sounds inauthentic. I think women today are more likely to be using their real voice.
The higher pitch used in the past can be interpreted as a sign of stress and anxiety today.

Cross post!

If we mention vocal-fry (which I learned about on this very board) we get jumped on for criticising women.

I mention it because it's done in a deeper voice than the person's normal voice so could be the explanation for this new phenomenon.

Does that include the vocal fry?
Started in the west coast of the US and subtly spreading here?