In 2021 a shockingly low number of female songwriters made the top 100 - unchanged from 2020

A new report by The Ivors Academy and music rights company Blokur reveals a shockingly low number of female songwriters making the top 100 list. The report, which analysed the top charting songs on Spotify, Apple, YouTube and Amazon against its database of song data to identify the proportion of each song credited to each songwriter, reveals that in 2021 only 15 of the top 100 songwriters worldwide are women.

It’s no surprise that there’s still much work to be done in the music industry to increase gender equality, but the fact that we’re still talking about it and the figures indicate little change is concerning.

But what factors contribute to the low female representation reported annually? Are songs written by women less listened to, or are women just not writing hits?

Does the industry have an issue with crediting women?

The 2021 Songwriters’ Review also revealed that female vocalists feature on 35% of the top 100 songs overall (over double the number of songwriters), suggesting that women are less likely to be credited as songwriters on the songs they sing. But why is this?

A 2021 survey by independent digital music distribution company TuneCore and MIDiA Research may provide some answers. The survey recorded the responses of 401 women in the music industry including artists, songwriters, producers and DJs largely from North America and Europe. 64% responded that “sexual harassment and objectification was a major challenge women face in the industry”. Expecting anyone to flourish in working environments where most would be deterred is a tall ask. Moreover, not only are women facing challenging working environments, but the women who endure these adverse situations are sometimes completely ignored.

A recent example of this lack of credit is singer-songwriter Ashanti, who this year announced that she had finally been recognised for her contributions to Jennifer Lopez’s 2001 hit song Ain’t It Funny. And she isn’t alone.

Ashanti in the Studio — Instagram:

Ashanti in the studio - Instagram

Women have been raising their voices for years, frustrated about the ongoing lack of recognition behind the scenes. One of those voices is none-other than music legend Björk, who spoke out about the issue of journalists misreporting who produced her Album Vulnicura. In her 2015 Pitchfork interview, she explained that although she produced 80% of the album, journalists and “everybody” assumed that her co-producer Arca (then identifying as male) had produced all of it.

If we thought the numbers for female songwriters weren’t low enough, the 2022 report Inclusion in the Recording Studio by Stacy L Smith revealed that female producers only make up a jaw dropping 2.8% of the industry.

Is it just a case of society preferring to listen to music made and performed by men?

The music industry is no stranger to sexism, but is it even present in our listening choices? Since only 35% of the top 100 songs feature a female vocalist, the statement may not seem so absurd.

A 2020 Spotify report shed light on the issue, revealing that the overwhelming majority of men, 94.2% of 5 million, listened to male artists, while women were more split, listening to 55% of men, 30.8% of women and 14.2% mixed.

Spotify artist streams by gender

But does this mean both genders actively avoid female artists or is there something else at play? 

A study about the gender imbalance in music recommendations by PhD candidate Andres Ferraro, Pompeu Fabra University, suggests that our gender bias even informs our technology. The 2021 study revealed that streaming algorithms on music platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and others are more likely to give male artists airtime.

Why do we need female songwriters in music? 

Concluding, it’s tough to believe that an industry so in tune with trends and innovation appears to lag behind the rest of the world regarding gender equality. Considering that women make up half of the world’s population and contribute half of the world’s ideas, it’s hard to say we are getting the full potential of music if we only listen to 15% of female songwriters.

Despite all the doom and gloom, it’s not all bad news. Blokur’s Songwriters’ Review showed that for the second year in a row, a female songwriter, Olivia Rodrigo, emerged as the top songwriter overall, following in Toni Watson’s footsteps the year before. An indication that even though the progress is slow, there are signs of improvement.

Famous female songwriters and composers

Billie Holiday, Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift (Wiki Commons)

Image: Famous female songwriters and composers: Billie Holiday, Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift


For more information on the top songwriters in 2021, download Blokur’s 2021 Songwriters’ Review.