Is Music a Safe Career Option for Girls? : Women have made huge advancements in the music industry in recent years. One recent report found that almost one-third of the artists on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart in 2022 were women. It suggests it might be a great time for even more women to get involved in the music business.
But is music a safe career option for girls? The music industry has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, so there is skepticism over whether or not women can maintain their safety while working within it. Learn more below.
Women Make Up More of the Music Industry Than They Used To
The good news for women who want to work in the music industry is that more women work in it than ever before. About 32% of the music industry is made up of women. This includes women who work as musicians as well as women who work on the business side doing things like distribution and marketing.
But the bad news for women who want to work in the music industry is that there are still more males working in it. This power imbalance has led to widespread systemic problems, such as objectification, discrimination, and even sexual assault. Some women might find that these issues will plague them and even impact their safety.
Women Are Underrepresented Behind the Scenes in the Music Industry
Although the music industry has become more balanced, there still are not nearly enough women working in jobs behind the scenes. It’s part of the reason why women continue to struggle with the aforementioned systemic issues. Some men at the top of the pecking order in the industry are not doing enough to target these problems, and this has allowed them to persist.
There are also certain pockets of the music industry that have almost nothing but men working in them. For example, nearly 97% of music producers are men. As a result, many women who sing or write songs are routinely forced to work exclusively with men, and at the very least, this can lead to them feeling uncomfortable. It can also lead to them either questioning their safety or even finding that their safety has been compromised.
Women Can Find Safe Havens in the Music Industry
While the music industry isn’t as safe for women as it should be, it has gotten marginally safer, and it should keep trending in this direction in the coming years. But for now, women will need to continue to look for safe havens within the industry and take steps to learn the music business inside and out. They can gain invaluable knowledge by attending a well-respected music school.
Women should also recognize that there are many ways to make a splash within the music industry without risking their safety. While they’re welcome to forge music careers as artists, they can also do things like launch small businesses that sell music-related items like traditional music boxes. It’ll enable them to embrace music without subjecting them to unsafe working conditions.
Whatever the case, women should know that music can be a safe career choice. They shouldn’t feel like they have to look elsewhere for a career when their dream job involves music.