Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Sociology
Date of Award
12-2015
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Martha Copp
Committee Members
Joseph Baker, Melissa Schrift
Abstract
This study looks at female musicians performing in subcultural rock genres commonly considered non-gender-conforming, such as punk rock, heavy metal, noise, and experimental. Twenty-four interviews were conducted with female musicians who reflected on their experiences as musicians. Themes emerged on women’s patterns of entry into music, barriers they negotiated while playing, and forces that may push them out of the music scene. Once women gained a musician identity, their gender functioned as a master status. They negotiated sexism when people questioned their abilities, assumed men played better, expected them to fail, held them to conventional gender roles, and sexually objectified them. Normative expectations of women as primary caregivers for children, internalization of criticism, and high personal expectations are considered as factors that contribute to women’s exit from musical careers. This research closes with suggestions for how more women and girls can be socialized into rock music.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
McLaughlin, Adria Ryan, "Navigating Gender Inequality in Musical Subgenres" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2600. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2600
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.