While we are talking about the underrepresentation of women – which people are trying to defend with their flawed logic that women "don't want to work", we might also talk about other sectors of the American system. Underrepresentation of women is due to patriarchy and it's systemic, not a personal choice – even in the fields that are considered more 'feminine'. Let's have a look at how women are treated in the music industry.

According to billboard.com, from 2012 to 2021, there were 180 artists on the Hot 100 Year End Chart, with 76.7 percent of men and 23.3 percent of women, considering none of them identified as non-binary or gender non-conforming. 78.2 percent of artists were men and 21.8 percent were women across the 10 years. 


In 2021, only 14.4 percent of songwriters were women. Women made up only 12.7 percent of the composers examined over the ten years investigated, resulting in a ratio of 6.8 men to one woman songwriter.


Women were more likely to work as songwriters on dance and/or songs, with 20.5 percent of these songs written by women over ten years, and Pop songs, with 19.1 percent. Women were least likely to work on Hip-Hop/Rap, with only 6.4 percent of these songs written by women over ten years, and R&B/Soul, with 9.4 percent of these songs written by women.


What's there to notice is that female producers have even worse stats with holding only 3.9 percent of all positions. It got worse over the years. For every female producer, there are 35 male producers.


All of this is even worse for women of color. Misogyny is very much prevalent in the music industry and heavily overlooked. It's time we talk about it.


More detailed stats: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/women-in-music-study-annenberg-gender-inequality-1235052876/