AMY KING ELISA PANGSAENG TERRI WINSTON SUSAN ROGERS
most engineers are not working with very wellknown artists doesn ’ t mean we are not there and are not valued .”
For those seeking to increase the number of women from the 2-5 % stat , however , it is critical that some women do work on hits and chart-toppers . As explained by songwriter , composer / recording engineer / producer , as well as founder and director of Women ’ s Audio Mission ( WAM ), Terri Winston , “ When a big artist calls me asking to work with a woman producer , I need to suggest somebody with Grammy nominations because that ’ s what the expectations are . The pool becomes smaller and smaller and smaller , when the expectations are higher and higher , and the pool is already incredibly small . We ’ ll hand them a list of , say , 40 women . It ’ s hard to make that list with our limited selection and that number is still not enough to choose from .”
The next obstacle women face within this industry , which likely deters many from entering or staying , is the continual presence of sexism . Of course , environmental and social obstacles are not uncommon in any workforce , but when someone ’ s qualifications and abilities are dismissed daily due to their identity as a woman , there ’ s clearly an issue . Imagine you ’ re doing your job as a producer when someone walks in and rudely points you out , asking if you ’ re the girlfriend or wife of the studio owner . It ’ s not only incredibly upsetting , but also unbelievably common , even today . It , of course , doesn ’ t end there . Several women have also shared stories of being considered studio secretaries and cleaning ladies . Pangsaeng sums up the experience , explaining when a man walks into a recording studio everyone looks to him , thinking of course he ’ s the producer or engineer .
“ If I ’ m there , the first thing people look for is a man in a room . They ’ ll just sit there and wait for the engineer , while I ’ m right there asking if they ’ d like to get started ,” says Pangsaeng . “ So , when I wanted to be taken seriously , even though I wasn ’ t aware of it at the time , I began to bury my gender and my sexuality . I think especially as a woman , you instinctively just stack the odds in your favour .”
Sadly , the display and effects of sexism in the industry don ’ t stop there . Many women comment on how the hostile environment for women breeds a sort of disdain between women in the studio . “ We ’ re really conditioned to accept that there ’ s not a ton of space for more than one woman in the room ,” explains Pangsaeng . “ Looking back , I definitely made that normal and acceptable in my mind , sometimes even taking pride in being the only woman in the room . That ’ s problematic . However , normalizing women ’ s presence in the studio will change that perspective .”
Winston furthers this point , adding , “ There is damage this environment has created and I feel sad , because I know they have weathered an enormous amount of sexism , so I remind younger folks , they ’ re doing it to survive as they have more to lose .”
Another unavoidable issue can be found in the social qualities of a very male-dominated field . In Rogers ’ past observations of women starting in the business , she comments on the absence of the pervasive competitive spirit commonly seen in men . “ When I teach at the Berklee College of Music , some young female record-makers , engineers , mixers , producers ,
hit the wall hard trying to interact with men in a competitive environment . We need to model that more for young women – how to continue in the face of that competitive drive . Of course , sometimes due to a lack of self-confidence they ’ ll feel reluctant to express their opinions and keep up . But other times they ’ re perfectly competent and it ’ s just intolerance from a guy .”
It goes without saying , women cannot be sheltered from toxic men , but the level of intolerance and discomfort women must face daily in their work environment makes it understandable why they ’ d consider leaving altogether – and in truth , many do . “ The attrition comes once they ’ re entering the industry ,” explains Winston . “ It isn ’ t the most supportive , and it ’ s traditionally been 90 to 98 % male . Because there ’ s no representation , no human resources department , nobody to go to when there ’ s an issue , women don ’ t feel comfortable . You can diversify your workforce , but if they don ’ t feel like they belong , they ’ re going to leave .”
If those in the music industry truly want to see more change , there needs to be more initiative to create an environment that fosters belonging . This of course , includes making it more commonplace to see women in the workspace in roles as producer or engineer . For Pangaseng , this sort of change will encourage more women to continue to stay in the industry as there is an added element of safety . “ It ’ s easier to imagine yourself doing something when you can see someone who even vaguely resembles you doing it . So , if you ’ re an aspiring woman engineer / producer and you see another woman working the role with confidence , you ’ re probably more likely to believe that you can do it .”
40 PROFESSIONAL SOUND