There are two areas in media--one new (the Internet)and the other old (country music)--where women appear either to have found a new "voice" for their interests, beliefs and values or grown in such numbers that their collective "voice" can no longer be ignored by those in power. In the article "A Woman's Place? In Cyberspace," Kris Gensen cites a study suggesting that back in 1995 the on-line user population was roughly 80 per cent men to 20 per cent women. By 1998, that number had been expected to be 62 per cent men to 38 per cent women.
More recently, I found a study from eMarketer estimating that there were 97.2 million female Internet users ages 3 and older in 2007, or 51.7% of the total online population. In 2011, 109.7 million US females will go online, amounting to 51.9% of the total online population (eMarketer.com, March 2007).
So, what began as a male-dominated user medium is trending toward domiance by women. The same could be said about country music; once the near exclusive domain of men, today's biggest country stars are women: Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, even Taylor Swift! As the author of "Women in America: Country Just Ain't What It Used to Be" writes, "country's women...are asserting themselves as never before."
In your opinion, are there similar reasons for the emergence of women in these two very different forms of media expression? If so, what are they? (Note: on the subject of country music, the CMA Awards are on ABC tonight and may provide some insight into why the "message" behind women's music has gained prominence and acceptance).
I think that the emergence of more women on the Internet and in country music is a reflection of society as a whole. Although there is still a significant wage gap, women still have a lot of power in our society.
ReplyDeleteThis power stems from a few different factors; one is money. Women today have a lot more spending power than in past decades. A lot more women are supporting themselves (many are even the main source of income for their household) and have a much stronger influence on our economy. Thus, with women having more income to spend, we begin to see more products geared towards women, such as country music.
I think that it is also important to note that country music as a whole has gone through a lot of transformations since the 1990s. As the book mentioned, a lot of mainstream country music has become much more "sensitive", which has attracted more females and more young people. There are obviously still songs about drinking and trucks, but a lot of country music today deals with serious issues such as the war, domestic violence (Earl Had to Die, Gun Powder and Lead), and relationship problems, which draws a larger audience than in the past.
I think that the Internet has a lot to do with women becoming more powerful in our society. Just as journalism organizations allow underrepresented people to create a united front, the Internet allows women to communicate and network with others, without being constantly stereotyped. Although there is still a socioeconomic gap among "haves" and "have-nots" when it comes to the Internet, I do not think there is a large gap between men and women when it comes to Internet access and usage. From the statistics that you posted, I think the Internet will continue to help women gain more power and recognition in our society.
I think it has more to do with the potential buying power than anything else. Companies realized that women are present on the internet. It only makes sense to provide sites that women are interested in. This same insight might also be behind country music as well. By expanding the audience, you're expanding your potential to make money.
ReplyDeleteBut as Melissa said, I think these incidents also reflect our society. Everything is changing, somethings slower than others. Women are not confined to the home anymore. Things that were once popular with men are now popular with women.
When I think of the internet and country music the word self expression comes to mind. I say this because these two mediums give women the voice to powerfully express themselves. Whether it's surfing the internet to increase purchasing power or singing to tunes that women can relate to, these outlets allow women to be themselves without feeling like it is a man's world. Song's such as Garth Brook's "We Shall Be Free," confront the under lying discrimination between the sexes, "When the world's big enough for all different views/When we can all worship from our own kind of pew/Then we shall be free."
ReplyDeleteI think country musics real lyrics, real people and real incidents help women relate to the need for change - hey if they are going to sing about the need for change, maybe it is possible. Even though change is a slow transition, women belting out powerful tunes help with the trasition.
When it comes to the internet, I agree with Basch, when I was a kid in school, I remember teachers encouraging guys to get into computers. I think teachers did that because they thought computers were only for business purposes because they didn't understand the power of the internet and the connection it has with the world. Thankfully times have changes. And I believe the changes with the internet has a direct correlation with the high buying power women now have.
I do think that these two forms of media have similar reasons for why they have grown more popular among women. When I was in kindergarten I remember having to wait to in a certain order to use the computer. We were always encouraged to use them, regardless of sex. I believe my teachers back then knew the use of computers and internet would increase, I'm sure they didn't expect it to come as far as it did though.
ReplyDeleteAs far as country music is concerned I believe that women now are singing about "real" heartache, pain, life changing events, or anything exciting in their life. I gravitate more towards country music now than I ever have because I can relate to the lyrics, power, and feeling the music portrays.
Women hold a significant buying power in our society now and I'm sure these two forms of media have noticed that. In observing this they are going to take advantage of that and cater to this particular market.
The mainstreaming of country music (today it is more popularized, less twangy), making it more marketable and acceptable to a broader audience, is my reasoning for why the female voice has become more prevalent recently. I feel like Taylor Swift is a more translatable figure than Reba McIntire, because she looks and acts more like other pop stars, and is backed by millions of teeny-boppers looking for a female role model to idolize.
ReplyDeleteInternet usage by women is something else though. Especially in the economic downfall of the past few years, I think more people are arming themselves with skills like Internet proficiency, so that they have higher chances of sustaining their jobs. Also, I think warehouse websites like overstock.com are a factor to consider, as they gain popularity more women will log-on to shop from the comfort of their homes.
From the readings, both topics seemed to revolve around money. I agree with Amanda. The urbanization of country music deals with pertinent realities that deal with women’s problems, and not just the usual songs about trucks, beer, guns, dogs and a masculine slanted view of infidelity.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, I took a class in flow charts. Out of 21 students one was female and to phrase it gently, she was not very effeminate.
It all seems to come down to buying power. Females are often online shoppers, and modern country music appeals to femalers; hence the buying audience who are percentage wise the larger part of the population. Touring is musician’s largest form of revenue and the ticket sales, as well as fashions portrayed, are often purchased by women. It’s not just “Boot Scoot Boogey” any more.
I agree with Mauriah, I think women are finally finding an agreeable outlet for self-expression. Country music can give anyone the opportunity to express their sentiments because that's the culture of country music - it can be happy or sad, and is completely normal to tell a story through song. Women in country music found an audience because they were able to talk about issues that plagued them and have it strongly relate to their audience.
ReplyDeleteI think this is also why women are prominent internet users. They realized that they could not only voice their opinions to a receptive audience, but that others just like them were going through similar experiences. Women emotionally rely on the support of others as a confirmation of their feelings. The internet gave them a way of having tons of other supporters that they can share with and "rely on" to confirm their emotions. It also gave them a portal to be the supporter to another, something that most women often find satisfying.
In country music, women find common ground through experiences and finding a song that can make you feel better can get anyone through a hard time.
I think that it was only a matter of time before the Internet and country music became more accessible to women. It's interesting to read the book, as dated as it is, because I don't even remember a time when women didn't use the internet as much as men. Reading that only 20% of Internet users were women is baffling to me. I can imagine, though, that it was used as more of a business tool geared towards men and less as a resource that could be used by anyone. As far as country music goes, I do remember listening to the lyrics of Alan Jackson and Dwight Yoakum (thanks to my mother) and it's frightening how many songs I could sing word-for-word today. As much as I despise country music, it's undeniable that it has evolved into more of a woman's world. If I had to name 5 popular country artists right now, I'm sure the majority of them would be women.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.countrymusicmood.com/song-lists/women-girl-power-songs/
ReplyDeleteHere is a link for a list of "Women (Girl) Power Songs" - apparently these are supposed to make a girl feel good while she listens to these country music songs for women- by women. I do believe music can lift the soul, but a list of specific women country singers that can lift a woman's spirits just enhances the fact that women in country music are seen as stereotypical "woman power" enhancers. I suggest the artist Todd Snider to beat all country song stereotypes as his alt-country liberal outtakes on life stun all country music stereotypes!
As far as I can tell, the two "Women's" websites mentioned in the article have either gone gender neutral, or don't exist anymore.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.well.com/aboutwell.html
http://www.womenswire.net/
Of course women are primary users of the internet. Most people have computers on their desks now, and two-working-parent households are the norm now. So it seems to make since that women makeup half of the internet users in the country. Not to mention all the forums available exclusively for stay at home moms with advice, recipes, and child rearing tips.
We discussed buying power in class earlier in the semester. It was mentioned that advertisers started to target women because they have most of the buying power in the household -they make the grocery decisions, they pay the bills. So why not have the internet marketing to them as well.
As a women who uses the internet, I have never been attracted to pages exclusively for women other than shopping for clothes, or reading the "Dear Margo" advice column. I get my news on yahoo, I make purchases on Amazon, and I frequent facebook. But then again, how many men do you know who do the same things? (Nate Kurant)
As far as women in country music, women are taking over the entire music industry. I feel like we are at a point where there are more female artists out there than male. Women are breaking in to all sorts of genre that used to be exclusively male, such as heavy metal, punk, and country.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is an example of a band that had to break through adversity in the music industry. Joan Jett went to the major record labels in LA to get signed back in the 80s. The labels didn't sign her because she sounded male, but wasn't a man. They didn't think her style of music would go over well with society.
So Joan Jett opened her own record label.
http://www.blackheart.com/
Several of the bands that the label represents are all female or have some female members. Joan Jett has also accomplished equality with her peers in the record industry.
I'd have to agree with what most everyone has said above--women make up half of the population in this country, have HUGE spending power, and apparently make up half of the internet users as well (which makes sense). This being the case, most companies are going to provide websites geared towards women, and more record labels are going to sign on women to produce albums.
ReplyDeleteWe may be seeing a change because now women are spending their money(even though we don't make as much as men??). We are what keeps the internet moving and the records selling. We have the money so these companies are going to target us, whether it be through musicians we can relate to or websites we can relate to. Just as we have discussed with other groups of people--we have the money and these companies want it.
Aside from the money, we are now at a period in history where we can speak out, and have our opinions heard and respected. There was a time when this wasn't the case, but now the internet provides a medium for us to do that. Instead of organizing on the streets, women do it through the internet--we've just found another place to support one another.
I was pleased to find several articles online that concluded that women have narrowed the Internet gender gap...it would have been very disconcerting if women had not made progress since the article in the book, which was published in 1995. In just fourteen years, women went from being a minority on the Internet to basically equal to men in terms of usage. It makes sense that women use the Internet just as much as men, particularly because of how the web is used in the workplace. E-mail seems to dominate communication. In 2009, it is impossible to imagine most aspects of life without the Internet. I think women realize they would be at an economic disadvantage if they didn't understand how to use the Internet or other technology. For many professions, Internet usage is a necessity.
ReplyDeleteI think that country music has evolved because the new artists are marketable and profitable because they fit into more than one genre. For instance, Taylor Swift won a VMA at the MTV awards, and MTV is synonymous with popular music. Artists like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are popular as country artists and pop artists. Also, songs with the message "Stand By Your Man" don't resonate as much as "I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up 4 wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seat. I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires. And maybe next time he'll think before he cheats. I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl, 'cause the next time that he cheats, oh, you know it won't be on me!" Country music has had to evolve to reflect the feelings of its listeners in order to survive and remain relevant.
Internet usage by women and the evolution of country music are similar in that women have shown that they are interested in careers and goals of their own, and they aren't content to be second to men. The two changes have occurred because of economic necessity and the changing roles for women.
As the internet grew and the realization that many of lives dailey tasks could be carried out from the computer, providers saw the market and appeal for women on the internet. I don't really have much of a bearing on the issues in the article because I really wasn't around for it. It reads almost like women's suferage in a history book; something that happend long ago and is unimaginable today.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad though that at the time of this article that certain large scale inovations had to pass the "man's test." If men had a use for something and it appealed to them then it would be introduced and later on down the line it would find a niche for women. This mindset has changed, but still happens today.
Just an observation, but I think that it is worth throwing out there, that women used to fulfill most of the domestic roles while the men went to the work-place and that a women's time out of the house was for shopping. Now women are out and about, bringing in their own income, but are able shop from home more readily. Funny how things change.
As for women in country music, it appeals to and includes women more prevelanly because it has been comercialized to hell. Most of it is pop music today, hiting on the same womens issues as other genres, but just presented in a different wraper. There is a market for women's country music, so they'll get it out on the shelves any way possible and to as many listeners as possible. I never thought that I would see "country music" on MTV. I think that the societal and controversial issues have taken more of a backseat when compared to the content of artists in the article, but I really don't listen to enough of todays's country music to comment heavily on the subject.
I think there is more of a difference in the two than there is similarity. IN MY OPINION, I think the surge of women using the internet is a result of businesses realizing that women are the largest buyers and consumers of goods. And they are the largest consumers of media. So what we see on the Internet is a mirror products, goods, magazines, tv shows etc. on the Internet to further appeal to women.
ReplyDeleteAs for country music, I'm not sure if women became for visible because advertisers and businesses found a big market to make money, as much as it has to do with women standing up for equality. I assume that women began to get tired of listening to music that did not reflect their interest. Women got tired of hearing songs about men drinking their whiskey and headin' down to the levy, in their Ford F-150, carring their shotgun, to kill their best friend --their dog.
Women wanted to be heard in their favorite genre. They have issues too, and I'm glad that country music has upened the door for them.
So This one's for the girls
Who've ever had a broken heart
Who've wished upon a shooting star
You're beautiful the way you are
This one's for the girls
Who love without holding back
Who dream with everything they have
All around the world
This one's for the girls
Yeah, this one's for the girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rr-t-IOfRo
ReplyDeleteShania Twain