16 May 2024
Authors: Laura Bea , Erin Johnson-Williams , Joseph Owen
This article was supported by the University of Southampton ESRC Impact Acceleration Account
Context
In January 2024, the Women and Equalities Committee published its House of Commons report, Misogyny in Music, outlining how women working in the music industry face ‘a lack of support, gender discrimination and sexual harassment and assault’. Women are also more likely to receive ‘unequal pay in a sector dominated by self-employment and gendered power imbalances’. The report calls for ‘structural and legislative reforms’ but recognises that the ‘heart of the problem’ is ‘the behaviour of men—and it is almost always men’.
On May 16th at the Turner Sims concert hall, Dr Erin Johnson-Williams, a University of Southampton Lecturer in Music, co-organised a roundtable discussion to explore the report. The event, held in collaboration with the Southampton Institute for Arts and Humanities (SIAH), the Centre for Music Education and Social Justice (CMESJ) and Public Policy Southampton (PPS), sought to understand how the University of Southampton could respond to the recommendations set out by the Committee, in the first roundtable of its kind to address their publication.
This event was led by the Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP for Romsey and Southampton North and the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee. The roundtable comprised experts including Rosie Middleton (Royal Northern College of Music), Diljeet Bhachu (Musicians’ Union), Liz Gre (University of Southampton), and Elizabeth Kenny (Royal Academy of Music), moderated by Yasmin Sekhon Dhillon (University of Southampton).
Caroline Nokes began the panel by discussing the origins of the report, specifically the process of collecting evidence to investigate misogyny in music. Nokes stated that compiling the report was tough, particularly highlighting the experiences of women and the obstacles they faced in coming forward about their treatment in the industry. Many respondents preferred to remain anonymous and to voice their concerns ‘behind closed doors’. Obtaining evidence was difficult at first, but as more women came forward, it became easier to develop a fuller picture of systemic misogyny. Nokes noted the severity of the testimonies that the Committee received, saying ‘each [incident] was horrific’.
Politics of policymaking
Nokes reiterated the key findings of the report, notably that misogyny and sexual violence is ‘seldom about sex; it’s about power’. Patriarchal hierarchies and systems still exist in academia and the wider industry, and it was highlighted that the 2010 Equality Act is not doing enough to protect self-employed individuals and those suffering from intersecting modes of discrimination. Since the publication of Misogyny in Music Report, the current government has rejected the recommendations, ‘leaving the door open for powerful perpetrators to be protected’. Nokes noted that while her position as Chair of the Committee depends on the next election, she remains proud of the report, noting that it has enabled more women to come forward and share their experiences. Nokes will continue to put pressure on the next government to fight for better protection of women now and in the future, stating that ‘I am mad because my mother wasn’t [mad], and I don't want my daughter to have to be’.
‘Every woman has a well stocked arsenal of anger’—Audre Lorde, 1981
Composer and vocalist Dr Liz Gre, a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Southampton, quoted Audre Lorde in their own exploration of the anger they feel towards injustice in the music industry. They noted the importance of being energised by anger as part of a collective. Diljeet Bhachu (Musicians’ Union) reminded us that ‘we’re not just talking about a small number [who have faced abuse and discrimination], we’re talking about most of us’. The panel discussed how perpetrators are protected and survivors are silenced, particularly through non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which are typically used to pressure and silence victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
These conversations raised questions about how students are being protected. Professor Elizabeth Kenny (Royal Academy of Music) highlighted the importance of safeguarding and collective culture change, in particular noting that it is vital to side with victims over perpetrators unequivocally. Kenny discussed the value of working with students to co-produce policies and identify success, and the panel noted the tensions between supporting students to be ready for what the industry can be like, as well as working together to change the industry so that women don’t face misogyny at all. This discussion entailed more questions: ‘What boundaries are musicians willing to blur? What can musicians do to find ways around the industry?’
Rosie Middleton, a postgraduate from the Royal Northern College of Music, echoed these sentiments and urged HEIs to observe international standards. France, for instance, has venue regulations that create a safer and more protected space for women. Cathartic anger emerged as the prevailing feeling in the room, and it was a welcome experience to see the conversation led by women, with men in power supporting and facilitating change both during discussions and onwards from the event.
Evidence-use and lived experience
Cathartic anger manifested itself as evidence for the Committee. Different types of evidence for policymaking are increasingly sought, with government Areas of Research Interest documents calling for evidence that showcase lived experience (Ministry of Justice, 2020; Department for Education, 2018; 2024). There is a recognition that defining what evidence means is difficult. When asked about using lived experience as evidence, Nokes responded that quantitative data is attractive and policymakers see it as valuable. Yet, as a politician, she found that stories are more likely to strike a chord: ‘I am most struck by the evidence sessions and hearing from lived experience [...] maybe that makes me a lousy politician but I go off instinct and what feels right’.
It raises a key question. Does counting stories as evidence make policy ‘lousy’, or do we actually need to engage more with lived and felt experience as forms of data?
How can the University of Southampton respond to the report?
It is clear from the event—from the views of both panelists and attendees—that there is work to be done across higher education, industry and policy. The key points:
1. Educate and protect students on the misuse of NDAs , establishing their rights in different areas of industry. Working with industry to introduce protections and culture change, co-produced with students to ensure that less harm prevention is needed with each passing generation.
2. Work with government and parliament including MPs, Select Committees, industry experts and those with lived experience to amend the 2010 Equality Act to be more inclusive of intersectional modes of discrimination, add protections to self-employed peoples, and regulate the use of NDAs. This work includes identifying experts within the University, creating collaborative partnerships, relationships and networks across the sector, aligning research with policy needs and priorities of devolved nations, and taking learnings from international governments and partners.
3. Continue to work for culture change within the University, particularly on androcentric and colonial systems that facilitate inequities of power, knowledge production and industry experiences. This work includes robust safeguarding policies and advocating for survivors and victims over protecting perpetrators. It also relates to the wider issue of safeguarding within the University, which makes it pertinent to work collectively.
While the government rejected the recommendations of the report, the audience wanted to know how the findings will continue attempts to influence policy and practice. Nokes noted that the Women and Equalities Select Committee would be protected, and there is a hope that should a new government enter Whitehall, they would revisit these recommendations. For now, CMESJ and the Department of Music at the University of Southampton will continue to work actively to embed the recommendations of the Misogyny in Music report into curricula, admissions procedures, induction and teaching. This roundtable was the beginning of a longer conversation about social change and institutional responsibility.
