Gender Gap in UK Chart Hits has Grown Over Past Decade

Ariana Grande may be setting the US charts alight, but there’s  a less-positive story about how women are faring in the UK charts, published by BBC News. “Three times as many male as female pop stars appeared on last year’s biggest hit singles… Ninety-one men or all-male groups were credited on the Official Chart Company’s top 100 most popular songs of 2018 – compared with 30 female acts,” it reported. “And despite the success of singers like Dua Lipa and Ariana Grande, the gender gap has grown over the past decade. Thirteen of the most popular 100 songs of 2018 were credited only to female acts – down from 35 in 2008.” The study notes that while there are certainly some prominent women in the charts – Ariana, Dua Lipa, Rita Ora, Jess Glynne and more – the overall picture remains skewed towards men. “Songs by a man AND a woman have replaced many of those that were JUST credited to a single female act a decade ago,” added the story. “Meanwhile, men are also collaborating more with other men – hence the steep rise in the overall number of male acts appearing on the top 100 singles. But women are largely not collaborating with other women – or if they are, those songs aren’t as popular.”

Source: Music Ally