Listeners’ Attitudes Towards Young Women With Glottal Fry

Purpose

Glottal fry is an increasingly prevalent voice type in young female speakers. The purpose of this study was to identify employers’ perceptions toward young female speakers presenting with glottal fry and the impact on hirability.

Methods

Sixty employers responsible for hiring at their business in the Southeast region of the United States completed a survey developed to capture employers’ perceptions toward young women using glottal fry. Employers listened to three voice samples of young women with varying levels of glottal fry and rated the voice on 14 semantic differential items. The semantic differential items were derived from the hiring constructs literature to capture perceptions related to mental capability, personality tendencies, and applied social skills. Additionally, questions related to hirability were captured at the end of the survey.

Results

Employers were able to identify continuous glottal fry compared to nonglottal fry voice samples. Employers rated voice samples with glottal fry more negatively (eg, less trustworthy, less competent, less educated) compared to nonglottal fry voice samples and were less likely to hire female speakers with continuous glottal fry.

Conclusion

This study highlights the impact of negative perceptions toward glottal fry on hirability of young female speakers. Such information can provide insight to increase awareness of the impact of a voice type on listener perceptions and communication among young female speakers.