DkIT launches nationwide study on gender and the music industry in Ireland


Researchers at Dundalk Institute of Technology are seeking artists from across Ireland to participate in a new project, Gendered Experiences of the Irish Music Industry, the first nationwide survey on the relationship between gender and musicians’ experiences.

The study will gather information on the pathways to becoming an artist and day-to-day experiences within the music industry, including in performing and recording settings, and DkIT is calling on performers, singers and DJs that represent a diversity of voices, music and scenes to participate. The study will incorporate all genres: pop, dance/electronica, jazz, traditional music, art music, folk, hip hop, rock and so forth.

“Little attention has been paid to documenting the impact gender may play in an artist’s career trajectory in Ireland,” commented Dr. Ann Marie Hanlon, lead researcher on the project and lecturer in Popular Music at Dundalk Institute of Technology. “We are looking for musicians who identify as men, women, and non-binary to take part in this survey – all voices are equally important here.

“As the first research project of its kind, this study will promote informed and meaningful dialogue in relation to intersectionality and creativity in Ireland.”

The dramatic interruption to the music industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has created a space for reflection on the fact that the Irish music industry has a gender equality problem, the researchers state. This was highlighted by the recent successes of Women in Harmony and Imelda May, whose number one chart positions were dominated by discussions of their gender.

Research findings will be made freely available to the public via the project’s social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, where the survey can now be accessed. It will remain live throughout July 2021.

You can participate in the study here.

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