More than half of women have experienced gender discrimination while working as a musician, with a third reporting being sexually harassed, a report has revealed.
Female musicians are more than eight times more likely to have experienced gender discrimination than their male colleagues, at 51% compared with 6%.
About 33% of women also report being sexually harassed while working as a musician, according to data from the Women Musicians Insight Report from the UK Musicians’ Census.
The census took place in 2023 and surveyed 5,867 musicians in the UK over the age of 16 and who “earn or intend to earn money” from music. It aims to highlight “some of the barriers and issues women face in their careers as musicians”.
The report was directed by Help Musicians and the Musicians’ Union to help “provide a fuller picture of the musician population in the UK today”.
“The census data shows that gender remains a determinant of the kind of roles and genres of music musicians work in and may even affect career longevity and financial sustainability,” the report said.
“Ultimately, we hope to see the census helping to foster a thriving and diverse musician population, now and in the future,” it added.
On average, female musicians earn less than their male colleagues. The average annual income from music for men is £21,750, and for women it is £19,850.
Women only make up 19% of the highest income bracket of those earning £70,000 or more from music each year.
Female musicians who are Black, Asian, or from other minority ethnic groups were more likely to earn in the lowest income band than white women, with 35% of ethnic minority women earning £7,000 or less, compared with 25% of white women.
Similarly, women who are disabled were more likely to earn £7,000 or less than non-disabled women, with 31% of women who are disabled earning in this bracket compared with one in five nondisabled women
However, women tend to have higher levels of qualifications than men working in the industry. Almost half (46%) of female respondents were educated to masters level or above, compared with 30% of all other respondents.
This was also true for formal music qualifications, such as instrumental graded music exams, at 58% of women compared with 42% of other respondents.
As well as being paid less, female musicians are more likely to experience financial challenges than men. More than a quarter of female musicians (27%) said they don’t earn enough money to support themselves and their family. This sits at 20% for male musicians.
These financial barriers are compounded by more frequent and significant structural barriers to their career progression, including childcare.
Female musicians reported higher rates of primary caring responsibilities, at 28% compared with 20% for other genders. About 29% of women stated that family and caring commitments are barriers to their careers, compared with 11% of musicians of other genders.
Nadia Khan, founder of Women in CTRL, called the discrimination, harassment and unequal pay women continue to face“alarming”.
In a statement, Khan said: “It is alarming to witness the persistence of gender disparities highlighted by the UK Musicians’ Census, where discrimination, harassment and unequal pay remain prevalent issues faced by women musicians
“It is vital that the industry makes genuine commitments and takes decisive action to prevent the recurrence of the same data … True progress can only be achieved when we address these systemic issues head-on and create a more equitable landscape for women in music.”
The findings show there is “still so much work to be done” to ensure pursuing a career in music is more equitable, said Sarah Woods, chief executive of both Help Musicians and Music Minds Matter: “We hope these insights will encourage the industry to continue collaborating to reduce gender-based barriers and ensure gender equity in every part of music.”
