Slightly more women in Dutch music industry; Inequality still a big issue

The number of female musicians in the Netherlands has increased slightly in recent years, but they remain underrepresented. Men still earn over three times more than women in the industry, and women still experience structural inequality. But awareness of this is growing, and women’s incomes are increasing faster than men’s, AD reports based on a survey by music industry association BumaStemra among 560 of its members.

Compared to the association’s previous dataset from 2016 and 2017, the proportion of women in the Dutch music industry increased from 13 percent to 16 percent last year. Respondents also said that there are more and more visible female role models in Dutch music, and 31 percent could actually name three of them. In 2017, that was still 20 percent.

On the downside, 68 percent of women still feel that the music industry is truly a “man’s world.” The average male musician still earns over three times more than the average woman on an annual basis, the association found. But women’s income is rising faster. Over the past eight years, the income of the top 100 women increased by 68 percent, while that of the top 100 men decreased by 3 percent.

When asked what causes the inequality, respondents mentioned the male-dominant culture, the traditional structures, and the lack of female role models. In 2017, the respondents - then almost exclusively men - mostly blamed women’s personal characteristics or attitudes. “This difference could indicate a greater awareness of the underlying structures that lead to unequal opportunities,” the researchers said.