International Women in Music Day
Talented and trailblazing, these artists harmonize their voices and instruments, leaving an indelible mark on the music landscape.
While women have been shown to have just as much musical talent as men, the musical world is one of the many arenas where women have often been held back or undercut.
The story goes that in the 18th century, Mozart even seems to have taken credit for some compositions that actually belonged to his sister, Maria.
The world can be a harsh place for women but International Women in Music Day is here to honor the talented women who have so much to offer and who often have to fight harder to get noticed.
International Women in Music Day Timeline
1150
Hildegard of Bingen Composes Sacred Music
The Benedictine abbess Hildegard of Bingen writes and circulates her liturgical songs, later collected as the Symphonia, making her one of the earliest named women composers in Western music.
1842
Louise Farrenc Joins the Paris Conservatory Faculty
French pianist and composer Louise Farrenc is appointed professor of piano at the Paris Conservatory, later securing equal pay with male colleagues and gaining recognition for her symphonies and chamber works.
1933
Florence Price Breaks a Symphonic Barrier
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra premieres Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1 in E minor, marking the first time a major American orchestra performs a work by a Black woman composer.
1975
Blind Auditions Begin Reshaping Orchestras
Major U.S. orchestras expand the use of screened, or blind, auditions, a change that research later shows significantly increases the hiring of women players in classical ensembles.
2005
Marin Alsop Leads a Major American Orchestra
Conductor Marin Alsop is named music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, widely noted as the first woman to lead a major American symphony orchestra in the United States.
2018
Study Exposes Gender Gap in Popular Music Credits
A University of Southern California Annenberg Inclusion Initiative report finds that women make up only 22 percent of artists, 12 percent of songwriters, and 2 percent of producers on popular songs from 2012 to 2017.
2024
Global Streaming Data Shows Rising Female Presence
Analysis by the World Intellectual Property Organization reports that tracks by women account for about 30 percent of the most‑streamed songs worldwide in 2024, up from 16 percent in 2017, indicating gradual gains in visibility.
History of International Women in Music Day
International Women in Music Day dates back to 2008. By the time 2020 rolled around, it was included in celebrations that were put forth by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The event was scheduled in the month of March to correlate with the United Nations International Women’s Day, which always takes place on March 8.
The purpose for the day encourages the promotion of and showing appreciation for the women who have made an impact on the music world, despite what is often a glass ceiling that holds them back.
Much of the discussion around this day relates to the need for the gender gap in the music industry to be closed, with women earning their place to have equality in this sector of the entertainment world.
In 2020, even with the pandemic, International Women in Music Day boasted at least 60 different virtual events that took place all over the world, and each year the connections seem to grow larger.
How to Celebrate International Women in Music Day
Women deserve to be shown appreciation for their contributions to the music industry, and International Women in Music Day is just the time to do it!
Get involved with the day, starting with some of these ideas:
Support Women in Music
Whether this means spending time all day listening to those favorite female artists or attending a concert put on by a female band or led by a female orchestra conductor, International Women in Music Day offers a wide range of possibilities for supporting those women in the world of music.
Another great way to support women who are in the music industry might be by getting involved with Women Rock Day that takes place in early January.
Listen to Some Women in Music Podcasts
Learn more about the women behind the industry by listening to some podcasts that have been produced in conjunction with International Women in Music Day.
In collaboration, together the BBC, Danish Radio and the EBU offer a series of podcasts that feature mini-biographies of female composers and their role in the world of music.
In addition, topics include the ways that women composers must fight to get their work heard, as well as how the concept of quality among women’s work in the music industry.
Facts About International Women in Music Day
Blind Auditions Helped Women Enter Major Orchestras
Before the 1970s, major symphony orchestras in North America and Europe were overwhelmingly male, and women were often excluded through biased hiring.
When many orchestras began using “blind” auditions, placing a screen between candidates and the selection panel so only playing could be judged, the likelihood that a woman would advance past preliminary rounds increased significantly and women’s share of seats in top orchestras rose in the following decades.
Women Composers Still Make Up Only a Tiny Share of Concert Programs
Despite centuries of work by women composers, their music remains rare on classical concert stages.
A New York concert project linked to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women highlighted that only about 5 percent of the concert music programmed worldwide is written by women, underscoring how far classical institutions still have to go toward gender parity.
Women Are Vastly Underrepresented Behind the Mixing Desk
While women have increased their presence as performers, they remain strikingly scarce in production roles.
An analysis of 800 popular songs found that the ratio of male to female producers was about 37 to 1, meaning women accounted for only around 2.6 percent of producers on those tracks, even though they were far better represented as featured artists.
Female Artists Still Appear Far Less Often on Hit Records
The same study of 800 popular songs found that male artists outnumbered female artists by roughly 3.6 to 1, with women making up just over one‑fifth of performers.
Women were also credited as songwriters on only about 12.5 percent of the tracks, revealing a persistent gender gap not only in who is heard on records but also in who shapes the songs behind the scenes.
Louise Farrenc Fought for Equal Pay in the 19th Century
French composer and pianist Louise Farrenc, who became the only woman appointed as a professor at the Paris Conservatory in the 1800s, was paid less than her male colleagues for a decade despite the success of her students.
After a major triumph of her work in 1849, she successfully demanded equal pay in 1850, an early and rare example of a woman in classical music winning a documented salary dispute.
Florence Price Broke a Color and Gender Barrier in U.S. Orchestras
In 1933, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed Florence Price’s Symphony in E minor, marking the first time a major American orchestra played a symphony by a Black woman.
Price had struggled to get her work taken seriously because of both racism and sexism, yet the success of that performance showed that audiences and professionals would embrace orchestral music by women when it was given a prominent platform.
Only a Fifth of Featured Artists but Nearly Half of UK Top‑10 Impact
Industry analysis drawing on British Phonographic Industry data shows that although women are still a minority among charting artists overall, their impact at the top of the UK singles chart has grown.
In 2023, women artists collectively spent 31 weeks at number one and were responsible for about 48.5 percent of all Top 10 singles, indicating that when women do break through, their commercial and cultural influence is substantial.
International Women in Music Day FAQs
What are some of the main reasons women remain underrepresented in music production and sound engineering?
Research from industry groups and academic observers points to several persistent barriers: informal “boys’ club” hiring networks in studios, a lack of visible female role models in technical roles, stereotypes that frame production as a masculine or highly technical field, and limited access to mentoring and on‑the‑job training.
Surveys of the global music workforce have also found high levels of harassment and discrimination, which can push women out of studio environments and touring crews, where much production experience is gained.
How have blind auditions changed opportunities for women in classical orchestras?
Starting in the 1970s, many orchestras introduced blind auditions where musicians perform behind a screen, so hiring panels cannot see them.
Studies cited by orchestral organizations show that this simple change significantly increased the likelihood that women would advance through audition rounds and be hired, helping shift major orchestras away from being almost exclusively male and toward far more balanced string and wind sections.
Why have so many women composers from earlier centuries been overlooked in music history?
Historians note that women who composed in earlier eras often faced barriers to formal education, access to professional ensembles, and the right to publish under their own names.
Their works might have been performed only in private or within the home, and in some cases male relatives or teachers received public credit.
Because music histories and archives were curated largely by men, who prioritized works already prominent in public concert life, many women’s scores were never widely circulated, preserved, or written into standard textbooks, leading to long‑term erasure.
What unique challenges do women face when pursuing leadership roles like conducting or label executive positions?
Women who aim for leadership roles in music frequently report a double standard: strong, decisive behavior that is praised in male conductors or executives may be labeled “difficult” in women.
Research and industry reports describe persistent bias in hiring and promotion, expectations that women handle unpaid emotional or administrative labor, and networking cultures built around male‑dominated social spaces.
In addition, the small number of women already in top posts means there are fewer mentors and sponsors to open doors for younger candidates.
How does the #MeToo movement relate to women’s experiences in the music industry?
Analyses of #MeToo in music show that many women encounter sexual harassment, coercion, or retaliation in recording studios, on tour, and in executive offices, often from people who control access to opportunities.
Articles documenting these cases point out that fear of being blacklisted or not believed can keep survivors silent.
The movement has prompted some labels, venues, and festivals to adopt clearer reporting procedures and anti‑harassment policies, but advocacy groups argue that structural change and accountability are still uneven across the industry.
What strategies have organizations found most effective for improving gender equality in music?
Industry and nonprofit initiatives highlight several approaches that show promise: setting measurable targets for including women on festival lineups and radio playlists, commissioning and programming works by women composers, running mentoring and networking programs for women and gender‑diverse professionals, and collecting data on representation so progress can be tracked.
Projects run by broadcasters and advocacy groups also stress the importance of training staff about bias and building long‑term policies, rather than relying on one‑off showcases, so that inclusion becomes part of everyday decision‑making.
Why is it important to highlight women’s contributions behind the scenes, not just on stage?
Experts point out that while women are increasingly visible as singers and performers, they remain underrepresented in roles such as songwriting, arranging, producing, A&R, and executive decision‑making.
These positions shape which artists get signed, what music is recorded, and how it is promoted.
By drawing attention to women’s work behind the scenes, the industry can challenge the idea that authority and technical skill belong mostly to men, broaden creative perspectives, and provide more role models for young people who may not see themselves in traditional images of producers or executives.
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