Female Orchestral Conductors: Negotiating Gender And Leadership In The Classical Music World

Men have traditionally dominated the classical music world, where gender dominance is particularly prominent in the role of the orchestral conductor. The conductor is a traditionally male-dominated profession, due to its dual roles of musical leadership and endowed authority, which have been historically legitimated. The stereotypical image of the gender of the conductor has profound influences when women challenge this position. However, due to significant social changes in society, women have gained more access to education and obtained opportunities to compete with their male counterparts. Gender conventions have been challenged, and gender inequality has slowly shifted. As a result, a considerable number of female conductors have emerged in the field. Yet, there is still a vast disparity in professional orchestral conductors’ positions held by men versus women. The purpose of this study is to understand how people in the classical music field perceive female leaders when these women take on the leadership role in a highly-demanding and extremely competitive environment, challenging gendered conventions by performing the role of conductor. I am interested in how the perceptions of individuals have influenced female conductors to achieve this particular leadership, and whether these perceptions may shape/reshape the stereotypical role of the conductor The research aims to answer the core question: “How do insiders perceive female conductors as leaders in the classical music world, and to what extent do the perceptions influence the status of female conductors, thereby reconsidering the gendered leadership role of the music conductor? ” A qualitative research method was employed in this study. I have identified five types of “insiders” who work in the classical music field, have had direct or indirect relationships with female conductors, or have worked with female conductors. Because of the limited accessibility into the classical music field, I chose a non-probability snowball sampling strategy to select eleven participants. Eleven semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted. Once the interview data was collected, a thematic analysis method was employed to process the data. Based on the theory-driven approach, four main themes/patterns were identified. As the results show, not all individuals considered the unequal representation of male and female conductors as a sign of gender inequality. This is because the legitimated status of male conductors and rooted gender conventions in the classical music field has caused (unconscious) gender prejudice and bias perception toward female conductors. However, there are traces of changing perceptions, due to the improvement of women’s status in society and the higher achievement made by a small number of female conductors. The awareness of gender inequality in the role of the conductor and individual recognition of female conductors contribute to shaping female conductor leadership roles, as well as further deconstructing gender inequality in the classical music world.