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Sexism in the
Music
Industry

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The life of a pop star may seem perfect, but what goes on behind the scenes?

Making it as a famous singer isn't easy for anyone, but some people are behind before they even start. The oppressive barriers that exist everywhere else in our society, also exist with in the music industry. Women, people of colour, queer people, and other minorities face many different issues because of their identities. If you would like to read more about the struggles the issue of sexism in out music industry, keep reading.
It is easy to look at the lives of our favourite musicians, with fancy cars, fancy clothes and big mansions, and think that everything is perfect, however we don't often see what is going on behind the cameras. Recently female artists have been providing insight to their situations via their music, for example Taylor Swift's "The Man" and Dua Lipas "Boys Will Be Boys" which highlight the high standards women are expected to live up to both in the music industry and in the rest of the world.
Although it may not seem it, the music industry is a largely male dominated field. From the outside, there does not appear to be many more male than female artists but behind the scenes, especially in postions wit more power like managers and producers, there is a large power imbalance because there are so many more men than women in these powerful positions.

3% of pop music producers are woman.
In general, there are 47 male producers to every one female producer.
There is only one major music label run by a woman.
This is Sony's Epic Records run by Sylvia Rhone.
There is a gender pay gap in the music industry.
On average, woman earn between 20% - 30% less than male artists.

Why Should You Care?

The lives of celebrities seem so far removed from our own lives so why should you care about the effects of sexism in the music industry? Well, music is a big part of many people lives. Lots of people, especially teenage girls, look up to their favourite musicians and idolise their lives, nut often what we see isn't the truth. There is a team, of primarily men, controlling the images that are presented to the public. These artists often don't have a choice in what their lives look like in the media, and instead we are presented with a picture perfect lifestyle that is impossible to copy. It is important to understand what goes on behind the pictures and music that we see and listen to everyday.