Annie Mac has spoken about her experiences of tokenism during her near two decades in the music industry.
The Irish DJ, whose full name is Annie MacManus , announced in April that she would be leaving BBC Radio 1 after 17 years to focus on spending more time with her two children, writing fiction and podcasting.
In an interview with the Radio Times, Mac said one of the most welcome developments she had seen over the course of her career was seismic shifts in the world of music and broadcasting, particularly in the number of women occupying prime slots.
But while she was delighted with her Future Sounds replacement – BBC broadcaster Clara Amfo, who will take over the show from September – she added that the fact she felt appreciative that she was being replaced by another woman illustrated how much there was still to be done for women in the industry.
“I feel annoyed being grateful that we have a female breakfast show presenter on Radio 2 or 6 Music,” said Mac, 42. “We shouldn’t be grateful. It should be a given, not an anomaly.
“But I’m very encouraged at Radio 1 with the commitment they have to women. Clara getting the show that I’m leaving is the most sensible and inspired choice. It’s great, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Asked about whether she encountered much sexism as she rose through the ranks, Mac answered as she has done in the past. “I never suffered personally. It might have happened behind my back, but I don’t remember it that way.”
She added: “However, I’ve seen over the years that tokenism idea of: ‘Well, as long as we’ve got Annie there, the box is ticked.’ ”
In 2014 Mac wrote an article for Vice entitled “Stop asking me questions about being a woman”, calling out the heavily gendered questions she was asked in interviews compared with male DJs.
She said she was often asked if she was just trying to “support women” by recommending female artists. She responded: “Believe it or not, it is possible to talk about two female artists without being tokenistic. There are countless female artists and female DJs who are quietly achieving all their dreams without using their gender as a tool.
“I have often been asked to play novelty all girl DJ line-ups and I’ve always had problems with it because I don’t want to be asked about being a girl, I don’t want to be a ‘token’ booking.
“In the same way, I don’t support those female artists because they’re female but because they’re brilliant and compelling and inspiring and talented. And I will continue to support them, like I love and support the male ones, without considering their gender in the process.”
Mac has long been an outspoken critic of sexism and gender imbalance in the music industry, speaking on issues from the lack of female artists in festival line-ups to the “moral conundrum” of playing misogynistic rap on air.
She is ending her Radio 1 tenure for professional and personal reasons, wanting more time with her children, who start school in September, and a break from radio to explore what she wants to do next.
She has started working on a second novel following the success of her debut Mother Mother, which was published in May, and also hosts a successful podcast series, Changes with Annie MacManus.
