The study examined 633 popular songs on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts from 2012-2018, and found that almost half did not credit one woman as a songwriter. Across 400 songs, only 2% of producers were female, translating to around one female producer for every 47 male producers.
Professor Stacy L Smith, who conducted the research, said: “What the experiences of women reveal is that the biggest barrier they face is the way the music industry thinks about women. She said: “You will also notice of the big successful female artists, there is always a ‘man behind the woman’ piece. If it’s Beyoncé, it’s Jay Z. If it’s Adele, it’s Paul Epworth. Me? It was Mark Ronson and the same with Amy Winehouse.