Gender and Technology, or

Sure some of them exist. Joan Jett. Kathleen Hanna. Karen O. But when people think of classic rock and punk bands, normally their first reactions are The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, or Green Day. Few people’s thoughts turn straight to bands like The Cranberries or The Breeders. While perhaps today women like Karen O and Lily Allen are reviving the punk-rock music scene better than any man has, when people define “classical rock” or “punk-rock” music, they use all-male bands like The Sex-Pistols or the Offspring to exemplify their definitions. 

            When I was trying to find examples of female rock musicians, I found this article : http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/where-are-the-women-to-rock-the-music-industry-2009515.html. Even though there are many important female rock-musicians today, like Florence and the Machine, most of their techies, producers, and songwriters are men. Why do these women, who are such strong figures of female independence need so much help from men?

            From my experience, women and men like rock music about the same. In fact, my mom is a huge hard rock fan, growing up on The Clash and David Bowie, while my dad listens to mostly classical music. So why, if the audience is so split, does society mainly see male rock bands? Why are most famous pop musicians female, such as Ke$ha, Madonna, and Lady Gaga. And often, women like these are portrayed as trashy and slutty. While music is something beautiful and un-sexist, it seems like the music industry is not.