A Woman'S Voice As Her Life Changes

Abstract

Our innate capacity for voice is with us from the beginnings of life. The concept of voice is a complex issue rooted in the core of the self. Once we become aware of ourselves, we realize our capacity for self-expression. Self-expression is part of the cooperative network of communication between the self and others as we share emotions, thoughts, and ideas. Voice facilitates a connection between the world of one individual and the world of another. The purpose of this article was to explore and discover the processes, influences, attitudes and beliefs that affect a woman's ability to define her menopausal voice. A woman's voice expresses her knowledge, set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices in the form of language. Voice becomes a manifestation of the essence of self, and when listened to, breaks the silence of non-existence. A menopausal woman's voice is the voice that expresses the entirety of her existence at that particular stage in life. Post-menopausal women were asked to define their menopausal voices. They were interviewed in depth and their information was collected through semistructured interviews. This approach used a qualitative methodology with a focus on meaning of their voices rather than measurement. The format was narrative research using life stories and thematic analysis. As a result, five themes: The Voice of Wisdom, The Voice of Aging, The Voice of relationship, The Voice of Spirit, and the Voice of Knowledge emerged after analyzing the women's stories. Each theme represents the complexities that influenced the participants' competence to ascribe meaning to their voices. This article identifies the meanings that menopausal women associated with the concept of voice and how it changed during menopause.

Menopause, the beginning of aging for Chilean women: A qualitative study

“…These results are consistent with other studies, where women from different cultures and countries identify with the biological milestone of menopause as a sign of aging [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] recognizing aging with positive and negative values. 23 Interestingly, the significance of passing to another stage in other cultures has been a synonym for advancement, as role changes, you have more time 24 and gain respect in society 25 older woman are given a position of having greater wisdom, knowledge and ability to hold their own opinions regarding younger women.…”

“…23 Interestingly, the significance of passing to another stage in other cultures has been a synonym for advancement, as role changes, you have more time 24 and gain respect in society 25 older woman are given a position of having greater wisdom, knowledge and ability to hold their own opinions regarding younger women. 26 Postmenopausal women are more competent 13 and live a privileged status in some societies; 27 they are able to educate younger women 19 and have more self-confidence. 20 The transition to another stage, and thus the start of old age, becomes a prize, 25 whereas in this study these points are not reflected.…”