After the likes of Joan Jett, Janis Joplin and Debbie Harry, why are women in rock still marginalised?
13 Jul 2016
Catherine Strong
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Writing and Publishing
Courtney Barnett remains one of the only Australian, female rock musicians making a mark on the international stage.Rberr11 via Wikimedia Commons
Triple J’s Hack program recently put together a snapshot of female participation in the Australian music industry. It showed a predictable picture of women’s continued marginalisation in all roles, whether as performers, songwriters, record company owners or on boards.
Catherine has a PhD in Sociology from the Australian National University. Her thesis looked at grunge music and collective memory, and has since been published as Grunge: Music and Memory with Ashgate (2011). She has published on the gendered aspects of popular culture, and has also done research on the women's movement in Australia. Her current research is on cultural memory and gender in Australian popular music. She is currently the Chair of the Australia-New Zealand branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, and is a member of The Australian Sociological Association (TASA). Her most recent book is the edited collection Death and the Rock Star (with Barbara Lebrun, Ashgate 2015).
