Silence and Voice: Interview Questions

1. When you look over your life, what comes to mind when you think of being si lenced? When you think of having had a voice?
   
   
   
2. Looking back on your growing up, what were the "rules" in your family about who spoke and who listened?
   
   
   
3. What experience stands out for you where you felt quite silenced in school?
   
   
   
4. What experience stands out for you in school where you really felt you had a voice?
   
   
5. How do you think other people would describe you as a listener?
   
   
   
6. Are there certain situations or certain kinds of people that cause you problems as a listener?
   
   
   
7. How do your experiences of voice and silence relate to your feelings about yourself as a knower?
   
   
   
8. Think about your home, neighborhood, or the place where you work - somewhere you spend time with other people. What are some of the changes that might make these places more likely to be spaces where everyone would feel voiced?

Questions adapted from Women's Ways of Knowing by Mary Belenky et al, and from Nancy Goldberger's current research at the Fielding Institute, Santa Barbara, California. Used with permission.