How Female Musicians Are Treated Differently in Music
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University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2006 10x The Talent = 1/3 Of The Credit: How Female Musicians Are Treated Differently In Music Meggan Jordan University of Central Florida Part of the Sociology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Jordan, Meggan, "10x The Talent = 1/3 Of The Credit: How Female Musicians Are Treated Differently In Music" (2006). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 946. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/946 10X THE TALENT = 1/3 OF THE CREDIT HOW FEMALE MUSICIANS ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY IN MUSIC by MEGGAN M. JORDAN B.A. University of Central Florida, 2004 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Sociology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2006 © 2006 Meggan M. Jordan ii ABSTRACT This is an exploratory, qualitative study of female musicians and their experiences with discrimination in the music industry. Using semi-structured interviews, I analyze the experiences of nine women, ages 21 to 56, who are working as professional musicians, or who have worked professionally in the past. I ask them how they are treated differently based on their gender. Three forms of subtle discrimination are inferred from their narrative histories. First, female musicians are mistaken for non-musicians. They are encapsulated into inferior roles, like “the gimmick,” “good for a girl,” and “invisible accessory.” Second, band mates and band managers control women’s space, success, and artistic freedom. Third, their femininity, sexuality, and age are highly scrutinized. The analysis implies that female musicians are tokenized, devalued, and considered inappropriate for their jobs. Particular attention is paid to the similarities between female musicians and women in male dominated work places. I conclude by discussing the larger implications for gender, music, and social change in a sexist, unregulated industry. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project would not be possible without the ten gifted women who were so candid with their private lives and gracious with their time. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................ v LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................................viii LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 10 Gender, Musicians, and Difference .......................................................................................... 11 Standpoint Feminism and Research Motivations ..................................................................... 13 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................... 16 Numbers: Herstory Vs. History on the Charts.......................................................................... 16 Opportunity: Banned from the Band?....................................................................................... 18 Instrumentation, Band Formation, and Authority................................................................. 19 Instrument Assumptions ................................................................................................... 19 Barriers to Women’s Success. .......................................................................................... 21 Agency: Women Fight Back..................................................................................................... 25 Structure: Musicians at Work ................................................................................................... 29 Blatant Discrimination.......................................................................................................... 30 Subtle Discrimination ........................................................................................................... 31 Covert Discrimination........................................................................................................... 33 Unanswered Questions.............................................................................................................. 36 v CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 39 Method. ..................................................................................................................................... 39 Data Collection ......................................................................................................................... 40 Analytic Strategy ...................................................................................................................... 41 Description of Participants........................................................................................................ 43 CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS................................................................................................... 46 Roles ......................................................................................................................................... 46 Five Sex-Typical Roles for Female Musicians..................................................................... 47 Good for a Girl.................................................................................................................. 47 Hard(er) Worker................................................................................................................ 48 The Child/Mother.............................................................................................................. 49 The Invisible Accessory.................................................................................................... 51 The Gimmick. ................................................................................................................... 54 Mistaken Identities................................................................................................................ 55 Control ...................................................................................................................................... 59 Social Control & the Regulation of Space............................................................................ 59 Gender and Artistic Control.................................................................................................. 63 Bodies ....................................................................................................................................... 66 Sexuality & Beauty: You Can’t Play Drums in a Dress ....................................................... 68 Beauty Matters.................................................................................................................. 71 Aging Bodies, Aging Bands ................................................................................................. 73 Internal/External Ageism.................................................................................................. 73 Ageism & the Gender Double Standard ........................................................................... 74 vi CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION............................................................................................... 78 Strong Evidence for Tokenism ................................................................................................. 78 Work not as credible ................................................................................................................. 83 Inappropriate for their jobs ....................................................................................................... 86 A Tighter Pattern of Difference ................................................................................................ 88 Female Musicians and Social Change ...................................................................................... 90 Reflection and Expansion ......................................................................................................... 94 Music and the Bigger Picture for Women ................................................................................ 97 APPENDIX: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW SCHEDULE .............................................. 99 LIST OF REFERENCES............................................................................................................ 101 END NOTES .............................................................................................................................. 110 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Visibility/Tokenism