There are female singers and musicians in all genres, from hip-hop to classical. These women have inspired and continue to inspire girls across the world, many of them breaking out from the traditional expectations of girls to be quiet or well behaved, tidy or pretty in pink. They have re-imagined what it means to be a woman and shown what girls with a passion for music can achieve.
The histories of music have been written down and made into numerous films and television programmes, yet many of these either ignore female musicians or only offer one or two examples. Even the presenters seem to be all men!
To discover women who have changed the face of music, check out our podcast on Women in Music History ():
The Girls in the Boys Club
Katie Rochow is a music enthusiast, globetrotter and curious ethnographer who has lived, worked and studied in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and New Zealand. She loves to read, think and write about music, people, cultures and places and is interested in visual research methods such as photography and map making.
What roles are available for women in the music industry? What is it like to work in a field dominated by men? This is a common experience for women across a range of jobs in the music industry. The reasons are complex, but gender stereotypes and expectations play a part in the comparatively lower number of female music industry professionals, particularly in the management or technical sectors.
This section has been supported by Sound Women a network that encourages and promotes women in UK radio. In the UK, over half of radio employees are women, but men still hold most presenter and management positions. Sound Women supports its members and aims to help women get more out of working in radio, and to help the radio industry get more out of women.
Groups like as Sound Women are providing a supportive space for women in the music industry, and a network of people that encounter the same issues and want to change the industry. They work to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to develop their skills and move forward in their career, playing their part to highlight and address gender inequalities.
Alternative Girls: Interview with Ruth Barnes
Read on for an extra interview from our Alternative Girls series, with London-based radio presenter and podcast producer, Ruth Barnes.
Alternative Girls Interview: Capicua
Next in our Alternative Girls extras we have an interview with Portuguese hip-hop artist, Capicua, where she talks about her experience in the music industry.
Alternative Girls Interview: Tanyel Gumushan
Freelance music journalist Tanyel Gumushan reflects on her experience in 
the music industry and talks about her hopes for the future.
Musicians AND Mothers
It’s no secret that the music industries, well, all creative industries really, rely pretty heavily on stereotypes. You’e got the whirlwind tornadoes with a rock n roll lifestyle not ready to be tamed, the ones considered crazy or weird, the angelic group of soppy.
Leonie Cooper used to send reviews of every gig she attended to NME, until they published them. That was fourteen years ago, and now she’s a senior staff writer at one of the UK’s biggest new music magazines, online and in print. Some things are just meant to be. “I.
Experiences of a Music Journalist
It’s the same almost every time. Hours before the show is about to start, I’m hanging around the stage door. The tour bus has verified that the artist is just behind the wall in front of me, and I’m in good company. Sometimes it’s a couple of people, sometimes it’s a.
