How Women Are Breaking Music Barriers

“Ever since its inception, males have dominated the recording industry. I remember many a session in which the only women on the scene were female artists, secretaries or studio groupies in short dresses. Fortunately, over the years, women have begun to play a more prominent role,both in front of and behind the glass … and in every facet of studio production and the business of music as a whole. In recent decades, most of the resistance to including new and fresh blood into the biz has greatly reduced.” - David Miles Hube

So what does it mean to be a woman in music?  According to the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, a description of the role of women in music includes women as composers, songwriters, instrumental performers, singers, conductors, music scholars, music educators, music critics, music journalists, and other music professions.  It evolves into larger topics of music movements, events, and genres relevant to women, women’s issues and feminism.

What’s the difference between women in music and men in music?  Well, the reaction.  For countless numbers of years, women in music have been mistreated, neglected, and denied opportunities.  One of countless examples is that in the Concise Oxford History of Music, one of the only female composers mentioned was Clara Schumann.

Too often, women in music are judged for their appearance, rather than their talent.  They are expected to fit a “look” and if they cannot fit that “look” then they are kicked to the curb, however women who do bend to fit the “look” often materially succeed.

There are countless examples of women’s roles and contributions to the history and progression of music, however the Riot Grrrls movement is a truly unique one.

Much like many other genres, female rock musicians have had a difficult time succeeding in a predominantly white male rock world.  Women’s participation in rock music typically reflected in roles as girlfriends, groupies, or back-up singers until 1995, where Blurring The Edges reported that the press saw an explosion about a new group of female musicians: the angry women.

Riot Grrrl began in 1991, when a group of women held a meeting in Washington D.C. about the state of sexism within society.  The women decided that they wanted to start a “girl riot” in order to address the sexism within the punk scene.  According to White in her Revolution Girl Style Now, they decided to use the word “girl” to focus on the aspect of childhood.  They felt the need to validate women’s experiences and focusing on their childhood helped incorporate a time when girls hold the strongest self-esteem.  They rearranged the letters in the word to symbolize their anger, rolling off as if a growl.  White commented in her article “Riot Grrrl co-opted the values and rhetoric of punk, fifteen years after the fact, in the name of feminism–or as they call it ‘revolution-girl style now.’” The Riot Grrrl movement got the ball rolling on one of the most important transformations within history, however there is still plenty of progress to be made.

Perhaps one of the most popular, influential music icons in the world right now is Beyoncé Knowles.  Beyoncé is the woman that every woman aspires to be.  According to TIME, she doesn’t just sit at the table – she builds a better one.   With lyrics that tell girls that they run the world, she currently sits on the list as one of the 100 most influential people. “I’m not bossy, I’m the boss,” she sings, urging women to be independent.

Beyoncé has been able to earn her position not only through her talent, but through her capability to inspire and to be a musician, a mother, a feminist, and a businesswoman. According to MTV, she wrote an entire essay on gender equality after hearing that 42 million women are on the brink of living in poverty.  Alongside Beyoncé are plenty of other feminist artists: Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Lorde, and so on.

If you take anything out of this article – it should be that there is still much progress to be made in allowing women to have equal opportunities within music, whether it is in music education or in the music industry.  This takes the effort of both men and women: in their attitudes and efforts to create an equal space, regardless of whether or not it is in music.  For many women, it has taken a long time to develop their voice – do not let them fall silent.

By Vivian El-Salawy