Dr Felicity Wilcox and Dr Barrie Shannon have released a powerful new report, Women and Minority Genders in Music.

Collating survey responses from over 200 female or gender diverse music creators, the report offers primary data about their lived experience in the field of music.

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Wilcox and Shannon identify a ‘matrix of barriers’, a series of 15 interconnecting structural and social issues that impact the career progression of female and gender diverse musicians. Sexism and misogyny was indicated as the primary barrier; participants also listed lack of confidence, the impact of gendered care work, industry issues, lack of opportunities, geography, genre and discrimination based on gender, race, age and/or sexuality as key issues.

While almost half of all included participants (40 percent) had received tertiary or higher qualifications in music, this number is not represented in the Australian music scene. This lack of representation, with limited numbers of role models or mentors for more junior music creators, led to experiences of loneliness and discouragement for the majority of respondents. 

This report also found that...