Essay Example on Music: Gender and Ranking Roles in a Discriminatory World

Music as a career experiences discrimination based on sex just as other careers like science and computer science where some roles are termed as feminine while others are termed masculine. Gender as a collective construct specifies communally and ethnically predetermined roles that males and females are supposed to follow. The fundamental part of this debate is the ranking concerns. Normally females are given the lowest rankings compared to males. However, the space that is allotted between males and females are distinct from one community to another. During the past decades, females have had a chance to be more involved in both the composition and performance of music. Such changes were directed by the community's opinion at different periods in history. These opinions have influenced females and the way in which their music actions are being scrutinized currently.

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Although females are getting more interested in music currently than in the past, opinions of the past have influenced how these women are viewed and have constructed barricades that are opposing the progress of these women in the musical career to become renowned experts (Edvenson, 2017). The barricades led to various roles in music being tied to males while others were tied to females, and till now people still relate gender and music in those ways. The opinions of the society today have been influenced by the history of music which associated various characteristics as feminine while others as masculine. This paper examines the gap that exists between males and females in musical career and possible measures that can be used to reduce this gap. The paper will evaluate the way women have stood firm to fight for their space and what remains to be reinforced so that equality is attained in the music career.

Over the course of history, females have always been given a lower ranking in the society than men in different aspects of careers including academics and other social works. Due to this discrimination, females were restricted from pursuing various exposures and chances. Beginning in primeval Greece, females were not only seen as not being inhabitants but also they were only allowed to sing choruses. It is said that women could only get education concerning music in convents. The initial song originator was a woman named Kassia who had learned to arrange music while there. The capability to resonate and arrange while in the convent gave these women a chance to express themselves and gain some space in management and edification. Whereas music was obtainable in Christian religious convents, Jewish women experienced problems in both learning music and using it to worship, while men feared being sexually attracted to females. This, in turn, resulted in women being denied a chance to worship or sit close to men. In the 1300s, females in France became more engaged in music where they could sing as well as play musical instruments (Edvenson, 2017). When the revitalization began, more women became more involved in musical activities with their major responsibility being to give pleasure to males.

Females entered the opera scene as artists in the 17th and 18th centuries. However, composing remained uncommon among these women. This is attributed to the fact that the feminine tone had at last been acknowledged to be a disconnect from other senior tone selections and made it possible to develop the tone in madrigals and opera. More females majorly from the upper class were allowed to learn music during the classical era. The education given to women was very significant since it became one of the forms of service amongst musicians. In the 19th century, females in the middle class started being involved in music, but as amateurs. Later during the same century, women were allowed to go to national music schools and be educated, although their syllabus differed from that of men. Though females were given music education, they were only allowed to perform in a few particular ways (Welbourne, 2017). They could only perform if they were singers or could play musical instruments but were not allowed to be composers or tutors. This discrimination is even evident as Groove printed its initial Dictionary of Music and Musicians where only a few females were included compared to men during 1994. During the dawn of the 20th century, females were majorly acknowledged as music educators (Edvenson, 2017). Women were excluded from reputable orchestras but they formed groups to try and fight their way to equality by writing to newspaper editors. It was not until the Second World War that females were at last permitted to join chief orchestras since numerous males had been called up in the army and left their gaps which were to be filled (Skolnik, 2018). A second feminism revolution that occurred in the '60s permitted females to be involved in music more since more learning classes were made and women were allowed to be composers and professors. Since then, women became more engaged in music although there still exists biasness.

Being in the musical catalog has remained to be a major problem for so long since they are mainly determined and occupied by males. The works of females have had greater challenges because they do not have admittance and acknowledgment in music. Works by male composers is readily accepted since it is considered normal. Women were predictable to create a simple, charming composition and compose only in specific types (Koskoff, 2014). This belief made it difficult for works of greater female musicians to be included in canons. Another great challenge is that music of the earlier days is very widespread making the entry of new music difficult.

There is always some musical distinctiveness that is considered feminine while others are masculine. Such individualities were used to depict various characters in the music world including mood and style. Men were discouraged from composing music that articulated misery so as not to been seen as feminist or scrawny. During the Romantic era of music, the music that was composed was measured much feminine. Men originators used more characteristics that were seen more feminine, and therefore originators turned to modernism in their attempt to eliminate this feminine uniqueness. Because of this female originators avoided their personal compositional tones, and thus they mostly use techniques that resemble those of men instead of promoting the female gender. The idea of females trying to compose as men resulted in a challenge that still exists where females wanted to sound as men while expressing their message. Music is considered feminine when it is light and insubstantial, quixotic and poignant, not belligerent, and when players are lively and buoyant.

Current trends indicate that there still exists a gap in the music industry basing on gender. Since 2013 to 2019, only 10.4% of women have been nominated in the Grammys awards Majority of the women were categorized under the category Best New Artist. Almost 37% of the female nominees came from under-represented racial and cultural groupings. Statistics from researchers reveal that many female composers and producers who had experience in music have had their works dismissed or discounted (Kelley, 2019). Others say that they have been victims of pigeonhole and sexualization. Majority of the women say that the music world is dominated by men. Figures about musicians uncover great sex discrepancy.

Trends have started changing in music with more females starting to engage in music. Initially, music was majorly meant for men but recently, females are more drawn to this field. The 20th century is remembered as the period that brought infiltration of female music artists with some of the women being renowned artists in the 21st century (Mumbai Music Institute, 2018). Women formed or joined many bands across the world where they could compose and sing their music.

Although more females are engaged in music now than before, there is still much that needs to be done to close the gender equality in music. Such gender imbalances include the pay gap, the integrity gap, and the gap amid men and women at each level of a vocation. There is a need to work in unison since equality while has great benefits to the whole community and not on an individual (Blair, 2019). The gap that exists in pay amid a woman and a man should be closed. Women should be given authority to negotiate their salaries and advance their career just as men. Additionally, the ratio of men to women in the music industry should be reduced so that we can achieve a reasonable ratio that discriminates favoring one gender than the other. There is a need to build a future where both men and women are regarded as equal and in possession of equal skill.

From the statistics that have been drawn from previous studies, it shows that as a woman, I will be a minority in this career. This career is mostly dominated by males and mainly they will be favored more than females. There have been discrimination cases as explained above and thus I will be forced to fight for my space. My main goal in this career is to campaign for gender equality. My wish is that both works from males and females be rated equally in relation to gender. There is a need to spread awareness that both males and females are people who should be given an equal chance in society to show their skills and work for the better of the whole society. The biggest challenge is changing people's attitudes which are generated from the time a child is born. I will use my music career to fight equality and attend many conferences to try and make sure that people understand that equality is neither feminism nor masculine. I will advocate that all musicians both men and women get the same pay throughout the world.

References

Blair Lucy. 2019. Next step for gender equality in the music industry. Retrieved from https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2016/05/gender-equality-draft.html

Edvenson Arianna. 2017. Gender and music: can we hear a difference between female and male composers and performers. University of Northern Iowa

Kelley Caitlin. Feb 6, 2019. The music industry still has a long way to go for gender equality. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com

Koskoff Ellen. 2014. Feminist ethnomusicology: writings on music and gender. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctt7zw5tj

Mumbai Music Institute. May 3, 2018. Changing gender stereotypes in the music industry. Retrieved from https://www.mumbaimusicinstitute.in/changing-gender-stereotypes-in-music-industry/

Skolnik Jes. Aug 7, 2018. Beyond representation: in music and media, gender equality will take a revolution. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/08/07/634725840/beyond-representation-in-music-and-media-gender-equality-will-take-a-revolution

Wilbourne Emily. Apr 27, 2017. Gender and sexuality in music. Retrieved from www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199757824/obo-9780199757824-0198.xml