ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the academic theory that exists on women in leadership and existing data tracking women in leadership. Commencing with a survey of the role of feminism in advancing women’s struggle for economic, social and political equity, it leads to a discussion of how the burden of unpaid domestic labour increases the equity gap and how institutional structures have not been designed to accommodate women’s career progress. A discussion ensues of how the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the impact of increased care responsibilities which mainly fell to women affecting their ability to progress in their careers. It looks at women’s impact upon traditional notions of leadership and as diversity in leadership increases how the dominant leadership paradigms are being challenged. The ensuing survey of women’s musical contribution throughout musical history in this chapter provides significant examples of women who have taken leading roles in a range of musical activities from composition through to performance and instrument development.
