I am woman...and I stutter

This poem is inspired by the Proud Stutter podcast and more specifically what Nina G said about how women who stutter are often silenced by others and themselves. 

'Women are socialised to make ourselves small and when you stutter you get extra small.' 

Unfortunately, I have found this to be true. In my experience of being a woman, I have often felt silenced by some of the men in my life, be it at work, by the men I choose to socialise with or by what I see in the media, simply because I am woman. Furthermore, I have so often seen the men in the society that I live in make the decisions that affect the wider society.
And because of this I have often felt like I have no voice within wider society, however hard I try to prove that I do. 

And in relation to stuttering, four times more men than women will stutter. This automatically puts women who stutter in the minority, which can cause them to feel isolated. The idea being that if women are already seen as the weaker sex and are, at times, not listened to by men, then being a woman who stutters can often be very challenging. There are various reasons for this but one of the reasons that resonates so often with me is that because we, women who stutter, are the minority within a minority, we are often not taken seriously as people who stutter. 

This poem is my way of expressing my feelings that surround being a woman who stutters but also how being a woman who stutters empowers me.

And because I am a minority within a minority, I need to be strong and I need to be loud.

I am Woman

I am woman,
so timid and meek,
my words within me,
as I struggle to speak,

Watching and observing those men in their suits,
as they shout over each other,
whilst shutting us down.

Our opinions don't matter,
whilst theirs are honoured,
they make the decisions,
while we sit and listen,

My voice is scratching,
scratching to get out,
there are so many things I could say,
if I wasn't so afraid.

But what if I learned the power of my voice,
that I do have a choice,
and I choose to speak up.

I am woman,
hear me now,
my voice is strong,
and my words ring loud.