March 8th is an important date, dating back years before the UN (United Nations) declared it International Women's Day in 1975. At the beginning of the 20th century, feminist struggles – a political, social, ideological, and philosophical movement that seeks gender equality – occupied streets across the United States and Europe demanding improvements in women's living and working conditions, with the right to vote as a cornerstone.
After numerous protests and demonstrations were brutally repressed for years around the world, a day was established to honor the struggle and strength of the women who came before us. Today, we thank our ancestors for all they achieved, but the fight is not over.
Sexism and male chauvinism are not exclusive to the music world, much less to rock and heavy metal, but the discrepancy between the number of men and women in this field is impossible to ignore. Wikimetal was founded by three men, Nando Machado, Daniel Dystyler, and Rafael Masini, and currently, the team is mostly made up of women – and has been for years. However, 73% of our readers are men.
Incredible women are leading bands, composing classics, putting on heavy shows, and conquering their space, but their representation is still nowhere near that of men. Many will say "women don't like heavy music," but we're here to say the complete opposite. Many of us like heavy music and, more than that, we chose heavy music as our profession.
In a recently published article Metal Hammer editor Eleanor Goodman spoke with several women in the music industry, including Gloria Cavalera , Sharon Osbourne , and Wendy Dio . In the article, Goodman recounts how these women were belittled in the eyes of men and had to fight tooth and nail for the bare minimum, such as the right to work without being questioned simply for being a woman, or the right to attend a concert without suffering any kind of abuse, whether verbal or physical.
During Goodman's interview with Gloria Cavalera, Max Cavalera's businesswoman and wife, she said that "women put up with a lot of crap," and it's true. How many times have men in the industry – and sometimes women, because yes, sexism can also come from us – ignored my emails and messages until a man from the newsroom tried to contact them? Of two evils, choose the lesser, right? Because going to a rock/metal concert and being constantly bothered by men with questions like "Do you really like metal?", "What are you doing here?", while you're having fun is exhausting.
When I go to cover shows, it's common to hear "Are you working? What do you do, are you a groupie?", and then have to endure a comment about my outfit. But it's not always sexist and misogynistic comments we hear. Often, when we're at a show, we feel strange hands in places they shouldn't be, we feel gazes that penetrate us in a disgusting, repugnant, and degrading way, we feel our arms being grabbed and squeezed forcefully by strangers wanting our attention. The situations are diverse and endless.
Women have to fight twice as hard as men to achieve half of what they have, but, as Goodman points out in the article, we all have something in common: our determination. Shirley Manson , who rose to fame in the 90s with Garbage , spoke with Goodman and confessed: “The whole 'rock game' was designed and maintained by the patriarchy. So, because the rules are written by men, it makes it very difficult for women to infiltrate. It's still very difficult for women to be treated as equal thinkers and creators.”
Historically, rock and heavy metal are created by people who feel like outsiders, strangers in a society that doesn't represent them. Rock/metal is built on the strength of the minority, but when it comes to gender, the music is weak. The weight it carries is fragile when a woman faces difficulties and emerges victorious.
The women still present here are shouting, composing, writing, playing, and we are fighting for the equality that is rightfully ours. And, just like our ancestors, we are fighting for ourselves and for the women who will come after us.