What it is Like For Women in Music

A singer is a singer, and one cannot argue that women or men are better. So women in music are no different from men in music. But since society likes to look at achievers from the gender point of view, one can say that when it comes to making music, women caught up pretty fast with their male counterparts than in other professions.

Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and many other singers of the 50's and 40's are well remembered although the same cannot be said for women singers during this period. In fact inclusion of women in mainstream music came about only in the 70's. This period also saw the Women's Music movement gain popularity. This movement was to promote music made by women, for women and about women. It helped create a positive image about women musicians as well as create opportunities for them in a male-dominated stream. Of course then on we have seen amazing women in music. From Dolly Parton to Jessica Simpson, Whitney Houston to Rihanna, Celine Dion to Christina Aguilera - they have captured people's hearts and fuelled their imagination with their voices and their looks.

Many listeners are of the opinion that women singers are more versatile and their voices are much richer than those of their male counterparts. Singers like Beyonce, Christina or Alicia Keys, Shakira are known for their strong vocals. Countering this, many others are of the opinion that women in music tend to become popular more because of their looks than talent. But popularity based on looks cannot last long, so there has to be something more about singers like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion who remain popular even after spending years in this profession.

Women singers come from every genre - Classical, Pop, Country even Rock. Although there are very few women rockers, they have still made their presence felt. Female rockers like Amy Lee and Gwen Stefani have a huge fan following today. The same, however, cannot be said of girl bands. When it comes to bands, there seem to be very few. The most popular girl band would have to be the spice girls. After them, it is hands down Destiny's Child. Bands like Pussycat Dolls or Sugababes are also quite popular but listeners are always very skeptical about how long girl bands last. Many are of the opinion that girl bands tend to have a shorter life span than boy bands due to the intensely competitive nature of women in music. This often comes in the way of a girl bands success.

It remains debatable however, whether women have it easier than men in this industry. Feminists are bound to scream 'yes', but the general populace is of the opinion that women are prone to harassment in almost all fields not just music. What might make them more vulnerable in the music industry is that its behavior is largely not accounted for or governed by anybody. However, existence of quite a few organizations in this field has helped women a great deal. In fact 'Women in Music' is a UK based membership organization that promotes women musicians and provides them with guidance, resources and opportunities to further their talent. A similar organization exists in the USA called International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) that spread awareness about women's contribution to music and promotes new talent among women musicians. More Ringtone Download Please visit http://www.musicsmania.com/