Pinknoisemag - women are avoiding pro audio because DACs are named after warplanes and the NRA has turned men into savage beasts who overly sexualize protools compressors. Ok.
I'm sorry but I find the author's assertions in the second article to be completely bogus. I'm all for removing overtly sexual imagery from audio gear marketing but even if it was a widespread problem (which it is not), that is not the reason why women are avoiding this hobby / profession.
The truth of the matter is that women, by in large, do not find this stuff interesting. Most men couldn't care less about interior decorating. My girlfriend works for an interior design firm. Out of the 70 something employees at the company, only two are men. Both industries are always going to have a massive gender disparity.
@TheIceman93 chicken and egg...many women love music and are interested in sound, but it can be nipped before it even grows into a bud. I say this as a man working in sound, who has worked with (and hired) plenty of women. It goes deep. I haven't read the Pinknoise article but I'm speaking from first-hand experience.
Same with playing in bands. Constant sexism. Create a scene where women are treated as true equals and others are willing to share their knowledge and connections and suddenly you have 12 more women playing music locally. Seen it first hand, in bands with women and sharing bills with women.
@Thad E Ginathom I'm not advocating for a way of thinking, I'm simply pointing out the reality of the situation. Certain professions tend to draw more men than women and visa versa. Only 8% of nurses are male. Women make up 2% of the construction work force.
Again, I'm not supporting overtly sexual and misogynistic language in the work place or product advertising. I think the audio industry has taken positive steps towards being more inclusive. I think back to Tyll's headphone fairy mocking the now defunct trend of models standing next to tower speakers. That's a step in the right direction.
My issue with the Pinknoise article is that the author's frustration is misdirected. Naming DACs after fighter jets or giving Protools plugins aggressive sounding names is not the cause of the gender disparity in the industry. Randomly taking shots at the NRA (for God knows what) simply reflects the hysteria of the times we are living in.
You may well have a good point about the article. But I still take issue with your general stereotyping of interests. It is an ill of the technical industry. Perhaps it is an ill that can be traced back to schooling and even upbringing.
One might have hoped that that nut was cracked at least one generation ago... but this, along with a heap of other prejudices that some of us had crazy hopes of seeing the end of, back then, turns out to be tougher than we thought.
@TheIceman93 Check out "Do Not Sell At Any Price." The author has some great insight on the origins of record collecting (the book is about 78s specifically) and how the "culture" came to be.
For gear audiophilia, the early magazines were all about DIY and were for those who built their own radios, antennas, amplifiers. Women were not encouraged nor did they have access to the tools or education to do this. Many were not control of their own finances at any point. That changed somewhat after WWII/into the 50s and 60s but norms were already established.
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