Girls Allowed: Méabh Ní Chonaill Considers the Treatment of Women in Music

By Music Editor: Méabh Ní Chonaill

From classical composers to modern-day pop sensations, the representation of women in music has long been marred by inequality. Despite their undeniable talents and contributions, women encounter multifaceted challenges that hinder their progress, perpetuating a cycle of inequality within the music industry.

This problem is nothing new, as historical biases have relegated women to the sidelines for centuries, impeding their recognition as musicians. Female composers such as Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn remain in the shadows of their male counterparts, despite their musical prowess.

In popular music, the narrative is similar. Despite the success stories of iconic figures like Beyoncé, Adele, and Taylor Swift, the path to success for many female artists is riddled with challenges. Gender disparities in airplay, unequal representation on festival lineups, and inferior pay are just a few of the hurdles women face within the industry.

In this male-dominated field, women struggle to break into key decision-making roles, impacting their ability to shape industry trends. Women are under-represented in various areas, including as producers, engineers, and executives within the music industry.

A study by Karla Hernandez, Dr. Stacy L. Smith, and Dr. Katherine Pieper of USC Annenberg found that in 2021 a mere 3.9 per cent of music producers were female. If women are not appointed to creative positions such as these, the trend of under-representation persists and we continue to see a lack of female creative input.

Artists such as Taylor Swift have often spoken about the difficulties they face, and the topic comes across strongly in their music. With songs like The Man in which she sings “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man”, Swift and many others are fronting the conversation around the treatment of women within the industry.

The lack of women within the industry is a global problem and Ireland is no exception. According to the Gender Disparity Data Report, published by The Why Not Her Collective, only 6 per cent of the top 100 songs played on our airwaves in 2023 were by Irish female artists. This is by no means due to a shortage of female artists in Ireland, with acts such as Pillow Queens, CMAT, Jazzy, and more gaining large followings. A statistic such as this does not reflect the musical landscape of the country or current trends and serves to highlight the sexism embedded deep within the industry.

The experience is no different for female artists on the Cork gig circuit. UCC’s Pop Culture society brought together members of Cork-based bands The Cliffords and Iris on November 9th to open up this discussion. Iona Lynch, lead singer of The Cliffords, and Zoe Callanan, Lucy Dolan, and Laoise O’Brien of Iris each spoke about the prejudices they faced as women in a heavily male-dominated circuit. As ever the question of looks was discussed, with Zoe, bassist, and vocalist with Iris, saying: “There’s never been a time before a gig where we’ve not had a discussion about outfits and clothes. Obviously sometimes it’s from an aesthetic point of view but it is always in our mind that people are looking at that.”

The issue of women’s appearances, while definitely not unique to the music industry, is a huge factor in the way in which female artists are perceived. Iona of The Cliffords recalls a particular gig in which she chose to wear a bikini onstage. She says she was satisfied with her performance until “someone came up to me afterwards and said, ‘how did you get the confidence to think that you could wear that?’”

Instances like these have led the girls to feel more self-conscious about their appearances while on stage and to question their audiences’ interests. “It’s not about that (appearance), it's did you like the gig? Did you like the songs that I sang? What did you think about my songwriting, which is way more important to me,” says Iona.

Wardrobe choices can overshadow women’s musical achievements as media outlets jump at the opportunity to direct attention towards their bodies in search of social media clicks, and while this can be a form of expression or a useful marketing tool, there is no doubt that men do not face this scrutiny.

For many solo male artists, the go-to look is a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, in comparison to a woman, who may have a carefully chosen outfit, and for the more high-profile performers, three or four costume changes within a concert. This scrutiny can lead to women having a fear of expressing themselves creatively through their clothing and alter their perception of themselves and their worth as artists. According to Zoe: “You would look out into the crowd and think, are they looking up at us because they like the music we’re playing or are they looking up at us because of how we’re dressed?”

By comparison, the lack of judgement towards male soloists' appearances often allows them to be comfortable going on stage and performing with just their guitar. Female artists feel no such assurance and strive to put on incredible displays with dancers, costume changes, and dramatics. P!nk is known to use a harness to suspend herself in the air and fly around the venue, Beyoncé, Shakira, Dua Lipa, Britney Spears, Madonna, and many more perform detailed choreography during their songs. Each of these artists must compete to stay relevant and interesting, which means going the extra mile in regard to concert performances in comparison to male counterparts.

Ageism is another huge problem faced by female performers as it is intrinsically linked to appearance. Once they reach a certain age, they are deemed by the media to no longer be able to perform and are slandered for their desire to continue their careers. Legends such as Madonna and Cher are often told they should be retired, while men such as Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen are lauded for undertaking tour after tour despite their age. This is of course due to the female artists not looking as they did earlier in their careers, since they are no more immune to ageing than their male counterparts, yet are judged by different criteria. This unfortunately indicates that people may like these female artists only for their appearance and not for their musical talents. As put by Iris vocalist Lucy: “You shouldn’t be going to a gig to admire someone’s physical appearance; you should be going to enjoy the music and the work they’re doing.”

Not only do Iris have to consider their appearances, they also have to consider how they present themselves as artists so as to be considered agreeable. “Male groups can get away with the whole… being an ***hole,” Zoe says.

“If we were to do that it would never go down well,” she adds. “We wouldn’t be taken seriously. It’s almost like we have to stay in line with our personalities on stage; we have to hold ourselves in a certain way to ensure we come across as likeable.”

Numerous instances of this exist within the music industry, with controversial artists such as Kanye West and Matty Healy saying, doing, and performing things that female artists would never dream of and merely being labelled as outspoken or artistic. If a female artist did this then the labels applied to her would be quite different and she would be called a diva or attention seeker. Female artists must be palatable and if they dare to challenge norms, they are scorned. Artists such as Lady Gaga and Doja Cat have both been labelled as odd due to their refusal to change themselves to fit a stereotype that society expects from them.

While there are a lot of negatives to this story, it cannot be denied that advancements are being made in relation to the perception of female artists working in the industry, and organisations such as The Women’s International Music Network are constantly pushing to ensure more women’s voices are heard loud and clear.

With many strong female artists from whom to take inspiration, the future for women in music is brighter than ever. Nine female performers were nominated for six or more awards at this year’s Grammys - a small step in the right direction, and hopefully the years ahead will bring greater numbers and better representation for singers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all women in music.