Gender Equality Facilitators and Organisational Culture Initiatives in the UK Live Music Industry

This thesis investigates gender inequality in the UK live music industry, a sector characterised by entrenched gendered organisational cultures and barriers that hinder women’s access and career progression. Drawing on Acker’s (1990) gendered organisational theory, this study adopts a multidisciplinary approach that combines workplace equality research, social sciences, and music business insights, and critically evaluates the systemic and cultural factors that perpetuate these disparities. It focuses on how organisational culture can drive long-term gender equality in the sector. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, industry reports, qualitative interviews, and surveys with industry professionals, the research identifies the manifestations of gender inequality and examines how these challenges are exacerbated by compounding barriers, as well as the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and other industry-wide crises. Furthermore, the study explores strategies for fostering meaningful cultural change within music industry organisations, proposing a new model for leveraging organisational culture for enhancing gender equality. Its aim is to advance solutions to the systemic issue of gender disparities in this field. To explore these insights, the data gathering and analysis in my study employed a mixed-methods approach to address the research objectives comprehensively. Data collection included generating primary data through an online survey targeting UK live music industry workers, capturing broad quantitative trends and qualitative insights into gender-related experiences. Subsequently, in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with selected survey participants to explore nuanced experiences and offered in-depth perspectives from women and men. Data analysis involved thematic analysis of qualitative interview data to identify recurring themes and triangulation with secondary data sources, such as industry reports, to validate and enrich my findings within broader organisational structures. This triangulation critically evaluates existing gender equality initiatives and proposes strategies for systemic change. Using this approach ensured a robust understanding of gender inequality in the sector by combining broad statistical patterns with detailed contextual insights. The findings of this research have significant implications for academia and practice. By highlighting the limitations of previous approaches that primarily focused on women's integration into a male-dominated industry, leadership roles, performers, and isolated issues, this study underscores the need for systemic changes in organisational culture to foster genuine gender inclusivity, moving beyond tokenistic measures and isolated issues. The Model of Cumulative Gender Equality Facilitators proposed in my thesis addresses entrenched gender disparities in the UK live music industry by offering a transformative framework that integrates systemic and cultural change. The proposed model, rooted in multidisciplinary insights and organisational culture theory, emphasises interconnected strategies that enable sustainable gender inclusivity across all career roles and levels. By identifying and embedding twelve facilitators – Improved Recruitment and Development Processes, Networking and Mentoring, Representation and Visibility, Valuing Invisible Labour, Confidence, Work-Life Flexibility, Family Facilitators, Code of Conduct, Effective Initiatives, Male Buy-In, Gender Inclusive Environments, and Challenging Gender Stereotypes – into industry organisational culture and practices, my work advances practical solutions to systemic barriers, setting a precedent for tackling inequality in creative sectors. This model holds the potential to reshape organisational cultures, ensuring equality becomes a foundational and lasting component of the industry.