Women's History Month

Hello and welcome back to Sisters Of Sound Latest News! With the year well and truly underway and back in full swing, we are here to bring you a recap of February, and as we move into March, we hope to shed some light on why this upcoming month is so special to us. Every year, March acts as Women’s History Month, and is set aside to honour and celebrate women’s contributions to history and contemporary society (and music!) We have some special things in store in this edition, including e-learning resources, upcoming gigs and events, some history, as well as tips to inform and inspire our music students. We thank you for helping us create cultures of respect, creativity, collaboration and celebration for women participating in our music industries. 

Pictured (left to right) Fanny Cochrane Smith, Georgia Lee, Renee Geyer, Chrissy Amphlett, Sandy Evans, Ruby Hunter, Joy Mckean, Vicky Gordon, Courtney Barnett, Tina Arena, Helen Reddy, Nellie Melba, Judy Bailey, Kate Ceberano, Jann Rutherford. Note: this list is not exhaustive, and is a mere snapshot of the many women that have contributed to our Australian music industry. 

March Is Women's History Month!

Women’s History Month originally began as the annual observance of International Women’s Day, falling on March 8th. It was back in 1908 when thousands of women first rallied in New York City, for better working conditions and the right to vote in the US. That particular gathering led to a bigger event, where suffragists and women’s rights groups gathered for the first International Women’s Day, in 1909. By 1911, women in other countries had joined the movement, and began marching in honor of International Women’s Day. 

In the 1970’s in the US, the observance came to the forefront, when a feminist group in Santa Rosa California, noticed a lack of women’s achievements being taught in school curriculums. The group of women set out to change that. Their voices would eventually reach the White House, their timing coinciding with the formal world wide recognition of International Women’s Day by the United Nations in 1975. Two years later, it was deemed as an International Holiday. It soon grew into a National Women’s History Week, and by 1987, March was officially established as Women’s History Month. 

Closer to home, our Australian History is filled with trailblazers, both women and men, who have fought for equality. Women such as Evelyn Scott, Edith Cowan Fanny Durrack, Mina Wylie and Louise Mack have contributed to what Australia is today by braking boundaries, fighting for the rights of others, and inspiring women to be the best they can be. 

You might ask the question in today’s day and age, ‘why do we need a month every year to continually honour and support women?’ Well, despite the progress we have made over the years, there is still ALOT more work to be done. For example, did you know that there is still an average 14.2% pay gap between full-time working men and women?

That means that women earn on average $261.50 per week less than men. https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Gender_pay_gap_fact_sheet_Feb2020.pdf

If we look at some music industry statistics, these 2019 numbers from shesaid.so surrounding inclusion in the recording industry speak volumes to the work that still needs to be done in the representation of women in all sectors of the industry. 

https://shesaid-so.medium.com/inclusion-in-the-recording-studio-1a289cdb8393

Throughout March, we will be be bringing your attention to some notable women that have contributed to Australia's music history. Be on the lookout for some household names, and hopefully some that you might not have heard of that deserve to be known and celebrated. 

Are you curious about more stats and research regarding Australia's gender gap in music? Check out this article from The Hack - By The Numbers 2020! 

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/by-the-numbers-2020-representation-of-women-in-australian-music/12033388