Under-represented, devalued and often harassed, women who work in the music industry do not have it easy, reports a UQAM study based on the testimony of 600 women in this milieu.
Posted at 2:09 p.m.
A new study on women in the French Canadian music industry highlights many of the challenges faced by those seeking to make a name for themselves in this cultural sector. Directed by Joëlle Bissonnette, professor in the Department of Management of the School of Management Sciences at UQAM, for and with the collaboration of the Musicaction Foundation, the report is based on the testimony of 600 women who work in all of the profession of industry.
First observation, the majority of them consider their work devalued, or judged more severely than that of men. More than half say they have suffered psychological or sexual harassment at work. The document also addresses the issue of the under-representation of women in the musical programming of festivals and radio stations. As recently recalled in the news with the absence of female artists in the 2022 programming of the Festi-Plage de Cap-d’Espoir.
Career horizon
The document depicts the socio-economic conditions of women in the French-speaking Canadian music industry, highlighting, among other things, that 57% of respondents cannot devote 100% of their time and derive 100% of their income from their professional activities. In addition, 70% of artists (performers, authors, composers) say they are “less advanced than they would have hoped to be at the stage of their career they are at”. And more than half (54%) must carry out professional activities in a sector other than their musical passion.
We also note that 89% of mothers of dependent children who responded to the survey in the fall of 2020 say they experience difficulties in terms of work-family balance, and this, in all the professional statuses targeted by the study. A large proportion of respondents (60%) have already considered giving up their musical career.
However, the report highlights possible solutions to help promote the development of female leadership. For example, building professional associations; provide mentoring; pass on her knowledge, her contacts and her experience to the next generation of young women.
“The possible solutions identified reflect the needs expressed by these women from all trades, and the recommendations they made to meet the challenges raised. In short, these results can serve as a toolbox to inspire all stakeholders in the sector, according to their respective fields of action, and thus stimulate better inclusion of women in the French-speaking Canadian industry”, can we also read in conclusion of this extensive study.