The experiences of mothers in the industry are hard to stomach
I am a published songwriter, and I am a mother, and like many of my fellow music peers, I was deeply unsettled in discovering that the Women & Equalities Committee Misogyny in Music report recommendations were rejected by the UK government.
Aside from my utter disbelief that recommendations were rejected around the most threatening issues, including sexual harassment, bullying, and sexualisation, I was also completely deflated by the dismissal of the maternity and paternity support and childcare recommendations.
As a co-founder of Mamas In Music, set up in 2019, I am advocating for all mothers across the global music industry. Whether you’re an artist, writer, tour manager, A&R, or a music lawyer, freelance or employed, if you are in music and you identify with being in a mother role, then Mamas In Music is here for you. We provide essential resources that empower mothers to advance their musical careers by creating a shared network, generating opportunities, and offering financial and emotional support initiatives.
Other women told me that to have a baby someday would be “career suicide”
A few weeks after I gave birth to my daughter, it dawned on me just how blurred the lines were for me as a newly signed songwriter alongside the enormity of juggling a brand-new baby. I had just signed my first publishing deal that I’d worked so hard for and remember being terrified at the prospect of delivering the news to the team that I was having a baby. How long would I not be available for? Could I try and take my baby to a writing session? I hadn’t really thought these things through.
The reaction from my publisher was one of general well wishes, and I considered myself incredibly “lucky.” But in truth I was applauding a response that somewhere along the road I had learnt was not the norm. My default was to expect rejection. I was giving gratitude and credit for having not been penalised!
As a young woman in the industry, it was in fact other women who told me that to have a baby someday would be “career suicide” and that I simply had to choose to either be a mother or make a success of a music career. I left having a baby until the very last minute in fear of those learnt beliefs being the truth.
So, what does it really look like to try and maintain a career in music and be a mother, for those self-employed emerging signed or unsigned artists? Those who are trying to fund a tour either with children on board (or leaving them behind)? Those trying to get to a studio, leave a studio to get back to relieve child carers? Pay for childcare? Breastfeed or pump at a festival, a gig, or in a music label’s office?
The endless encounters that mothers in the community have shared with me are still hard to stomach
The endless encounters that mothers in the community have shared with me are still hard to stomach. Those that have been dropped by a label or management after news of a pregnancy, being told they wouldn’t fit the bill, “look quite right on stage” or “be able to do the job with a baby bump in tow.”
I know several high-profile mothers in the industry who have felt the need to hide their pregnancy and birth to protect themselves and their contractual agreements. No paternity or shared parental leave for self-employed fathers or same-sex partnerships is having major consequences, and I know far too many mothers who simply have not been able to justify “staying in music.”
Acting as an international hub for mothers, Mamas In Music’s work includes the UK’s first songwriting camp in London for mothers, Mother’s Write (in partnership with Girl Grind UK and We Are The Unheard) a three-day camp bringing writers and producer mothers together. Other key initiatives include monthly virtual and in-person meet-ups with industry speakers and educators, a chance to connect as a community and share challenges, network, and support. Production albums in partnership with BMG and MPath and a recent spotlight series with APM shining a light on key mother artists.
I love that Mamas In Music advocates for the grassroots of this industry. We are grateful to the visible celebrity mothers who are celebratory of their motherhood status, but we also want to make sure we are working hard for the undiscovered talent that may otherwise go under the radar because of out-dated discriminatory systems. We want them to flourish in an equitable industry, for them and their future offspring.
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UK gov rejects Misogyny in Music recommendations
The UK government has rejected the recommendations made in the Misogyny In Music report, conducted by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC).
Published in January, the report demanded urgent action to tackle “endemic” misogyny and discrimination in the UK music industry.
The document described the business as a “boys’ club” where sexual harassment and abuse are common, and the non-reporting of such incidents is high. It adds that victims who do speak out either struggle to be believed or may find their career ends as a consequence.
Limitations in opportunity, a lack of support and persistent unequal pay are also encountered by women, the report found. These issues are intensified for women facing intersectional barriers, particularly racial discrimination.
The WEC followed the report with “a series of strong and wide-ranging recommendations” and urged ministers to take legislative steps to amend the Equality Act.
In response, the government said it is “clear that everyone should be able to work in the music industry without being subject to misogyny and discrimination” but stopped short of accepting the recommendations. A number of industry bodies have expressed their disappointment at the response and urged the government to rethink its position.
“We are shocked that the select committee’s recommendations have been rejected in this way”
“The MU are deeply disappointed in the government’s response to the Misogyny In Music report and shocked that the select committee’s recommendations have been rejected in this way,” says Musicians’ Union general secretary Naomi Pohl.
“Women from across the music industry have bravely shared their experiences of misogyny, sexual harassment and abuse as well as other very real barriers they face whilst working in the industry,” she continued. “The government had an opportunity to listen and learn from those lived experiences and implement the changes that the select committee’s report recommended. Instead, the government decided that women’s safety is not a priority. Again, survivors are not being listened to.”
“The Equality Act is out of date and does not reflect how people see themselves or how they work, it needs updating as a matter of urgency. The industry needs increased funding to support targeted action to improve diversity and an improved legislative framework that reflects the way musicians work. The government has committed to neither.”
“We urge the government to rethink its position and implement the recommendations from the report,” she concluded.
The chief executive of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) Deborah Annetts adds: “The Misogyny in Music report should have been a moment of immediate and lasting change for the music industry. The report laid bare the incredibly serious problems the sector has and the entirely reasonable steps government should take the rectify them.
“For the government to choose not to make music safer for women is painfully disappointing, if sadly not surprising. The brilliant women who make our music industry what it is deserve better.”
“The Misogyny in Music report should have been a moment of immediate and lasting change for the music industry”
Meanwhile, Safe Gigs For Women comments: “We are saddened to read that this government has rejected the Misogyny in Music report published in January by the Women and Equalities Committee. Sexual violence changes lives – inaction is inexcusable.”
The committee’s recommendations included taking legislative steps to amend the Equality Act to ensure freelance workers have the same protections from discrimination as employees and bring into force section 14 to improve protections for people facing intersectional inequality.
It also recommends the government should legislate to impose a duty on employers to protect workers from sexual harassment by third parties – a proposal the government initially supported and then rejected last year – and says it should urgently bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the use of non-disclosure and other forms of confidentiality agreements in cases involving sexual abuse, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, bullying or harassment, and discrimination.
The WEC report adds that the establishment of a single, recognisable body – the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) – will help to shine a light on unacceptable behaviour in the music industry and may reduce the risk of further harm. However, it advises that it is “not a panacea for all of the problems in the industry” and “time will tell whether it has the powers required to drive the changes needed”.
The Misogyny in Music report was discussed by key figures in the industry during ILMC 36. See key takeaways here.
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ILMC’s Misogyny in Music panel: Key takeaways
In the wake of the recent Misogyny in Music report, key figures from the music industry came together at ILMC last week to discuss the “endemic” misogyny and discrimination in the UK music industry.
Louise Halliday (Royal Albert Hall), Christina Hazboun (PRS Foundation/Keychange), Jen Smith (Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority – CIISA) and John Shortell (Musicians’ Union UK) assembled for last Thursday’s panel, moderated by Eunice Obianagha (Enspire Management/UK Music).
The panel considered the report and its recommendations and what more the live music business can do to combat misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace. Below are five key takeaways from the session.
Women in senior leadership positions are crucial
Halliday: “If you’ve got women in positions of authority then that people feel that they have allies. For example, at the hall, we have our event managers and I think almost all but one are women. I think that’s a really important statement.”
Christina Hazboun, PRS Foundation/Keychange, said: “The core problem is mainly white cis men being in leading positions and the normativity that comes with the gender expectations and behaviours that come with that. This is very problematic for many women.”
The non-reporting of sexual harassment and misogyny is high
John Shortell, Musicians’ Union UK, said: “Our membership is made of about 35,000 musicians and 40% of that are women. We surveyed our female members about their experiences with misogyny and sexual harassment while working in the music industry. Over 48% of people who responded had been sexually harassed and of that 85% of them didn’t report it.
“So [the report] was an opportunity for us to voice the concerns, opinions and experiences of our female members without them suffering any dire consequences. We provided a written submission to the court for evidence, as well as oral evidence.”
Louise Halliday, Royal Albert Hall, said: “The thing that’s most worrying for us is underreporting. It’s easy to think that if you’re not hearing this as a problem, it means that it’s not a problem. So what we’re trying to do is to instil a culture of listening and hearing.”
Freelancers aren’t protected by existing policies
Jen Smith, CIISA: “70% of people working across the creative industries are freelancers so it’s really difficult to get a grip on the scale of what’s happening to people.
“We’re all reliant on freelancers and individuals who support the music. Sometimes they are left with nowhere to go or a multitude of places to report and that’s one of the failings that the report articulates – that the part of the jigsaw that’s missing is an overarching body.”
Resources and support must become unified within Europe
Hazboun: “This is a huge challenge where the moment you leave the UK and go to other countries, even across Europe, it becomes challenging to feel protected. The tools and mechanisms become less unified, especially after Brexit.”
Smith: “Jurisdiction is one of the key legal technical underbellies of CIISA. So if you are touring abroad, you’re based in the UK normally, we will consider that to be part of our jurisdiction. In terms of an international version, that’s something that the government is very keen to move forward with in the coming year.”
Shortell: “Different legislation in different countries prevents us from taking legal action but we’re definitely someone that you can always call to receive advice.”
If you’re not measuring representation, you can’t change it
Halliday: “We’ve got an audience development plan and we have milestones and targets that we were working towards because if you’re not measuring it, you don’t know where you are. It is a challenge for us, honestly, to get that kind of diversity and that balance in the lineup. But it’s something that having specifically measured and put targets in place, we can start to move towards it.”
To read more about the Misogyny in Music report, click here.
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Misogyny in music industry ‘endemic’, says report
A damning new report from MPs has demanded urgent action to tackle “endemic” misogyny and discrimination in the UK music industry.
The Women and Equalities Committee’s (WEC) Misogyny in Music report concludes the business is a “boys’ club” where sexual harassment and abuse is common, and the non-reporting of such incidents is high. It adds that victims who do speak out either struggle to be believed or may find their career ends as a consequence.
“Sexual harassment and abuse in the music industry remains widespread,” reads the report. “Aggressors act with impunity while victims who report actions against them very often face further harm by doing so. It is disappointing but not surprising, that non-reporting is high.
“Organisations should not assume a low incidence of reported cases means they do not have perpetrators of harassment and sexual abuse within their employment. They should instead reflect on why anonymous surveys in the industry return high figures of misconduct, yet their internal surveys do not.”
In addition, the report, which followed an inquiry into misogyny in the music industry, found that women encounter limitations in opportunity, a lack of support and persistent unequal pay, while female artists are routinely undervalued and undermined. These issues are intensified for women facing intersectional barriers, particularly racial discrimination.
“Women’s creative and career potential should not have limits placed upon it by ‘endemic’ misogyny which has persisted for far too long within the music industry”
“Women’s creative and career potential should not have limits placed upon it by ‘endemic’ misogyny which has persisted for far too long within the music industry,” says WEC chair Caroline Nokes MP. “Our report rightly focuses on improving protections and reporting mechanisms, and on necessary structural and legislative reforms.
“However, a shift in the behaviour of men – and it is almost always men – at the heart of the music industry is the transformative change needed for talented women to quite literally have their voices heard and be both recognised and rewarded on equal terms.”
The findings suggest that sexual harassment and abuse is more prevalent in particular environments, such as live music venues.
“Musicians and staff commonly mix with audience members and other workers in late-night venues, and informal settings such as festivals and tour buses, often with the presence of alcohol and drugs,” it notes. “We heard that sexual harassment is ‘rife in these environments’, that ‘musicians are at risk from audience members, paying or non-paying guests, and their principals’ and that the “anonymity in these spaces and lack of intervention by venue security leads to a toleration of such behaviours and increased risk to female musicians’.
“Many live music venues lack facilities and structural support for women working in the industry”
“Many live music venues lack facilities and structural support for women working in the industry. Respondents to the Musicians’ Union survey reported being treated as “one of the lads”, “expected to share rooms with colleagues, male and female whilst on tour” and in some cases were asked to share beds. Often venues lack multiple changing facilities and women are expected to change in front of their male colleagues, in the toilets or in their car which is ‘uncomfortable and unprofessional’ and ‘raises safety concerns’.”
The cross-party committee of MPs has made a series of recommendations, including that public funding and licensing of music venues should be made conditional “on those premises taking steps to tackle gender bias, sexual harassment and abuse”.
“This should include the training of venue staff by accredited organisations that work in the sector,” it continues. “The government should review international examples, such as the measures introduced in France, Ireland and Barcelona, and introduce similar policies in the UK. The government should consider making funding available to smaller venues to enable them to meet this condition.
“The music industry needs to improve its facilitation of mixed groups. As a minimum, venues that host live music should provide adequate, separate dressing room facilities for women and gender nonconforming musicians.
“Accreditation for security staff to work at live music venues should include training on dealing with discrimination, sexual harassment and abuse”
“Security Industry Authority accreditation for security staff to work at live music venues should include training on dealing with discrimination, sexual harassment and abuse. That training should be survivor-led and provided by accredited organisations dedicated to improving safety for women.”
Moreover, the committee is calling on ministers to take legislative steps to amend the Equality Act to ensure freelance workers have the same protections from discrimination as employees and bring into force section 14 to improve protections for people facing intersectional inequality.
It also recommends the government should legislate to impose a duty on employers to protect workers from sexual harassment by third parties – a proposal the government initially supported and then rejected last year – and says it should urgently bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the use of non-disclosure and other forms of confidentiality agreements in cases involving sexual abuse, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, bullying or harassment, and discrimination.
The WEC report adds that the establishment of a single, recognisable body – the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) – will help to shine a light on unacceptable behaviour in the music industry and may reduce the risk of further harm. However, it advises that it is “not a panacea for all of the problems in the industry” and “time will tell whether it has the powers required to drive the changes needed”.
“LIVE’s members will challenge misogynistic behaviour and build on existing measures in place that support the report’s recommendations”
In response to the report, Jon Collins, CEO of trade body LIVE, tells IQ: “The live music sector recognises the urgent need to tackle misogyny and discrimination in the music industry, making it an inclusive workforce for everyone.
”LIVE fully supports the report’s recommendation to establish the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) to set industry-wide standards on acceptable behaviour to reduce the risk of further harm and will continue to support in its development.
“LIVE’s members will challenge misogynistic behaviour and build on existing measures in place that support the report’s recommendations. We will continue to work with government to eradicate misogyny, harassment and abuse to ensure the UK’s live music sector is a safe space for all.”
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