It's a Man's World: An Analysis of the Roles of Women in the Male-Dominated Country Music Industry

Abstract

This honors thesis addresses the gender bias of the country music industry. Women are severely underrepresented on country radio, leading to more underrepresentation on touring and festival lineups, award show nominations, streaming playlists, and more. Many believe the myth that “women don’t want to hear women.” However, data shows that audiences are eager to hear country music from female voices. Fans have craved country music from female artists since the birth of the genre, as the genre was shaped by iconic female voices and songs. Many female artists have had successes in album sales and tours within recent years, proving that country music fans are supportive of women in the genre. To research for this project, I gathered data from Billboard charts and Mediabase radio airplay charts to exemplify the gap between male and female representation.