+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
date = "2016-06-13T22:18:00-06:00"
draft = true
lastmod = "2016-06-13T22:18:00-06:00"
slug = "conductors-vs-stem-field"
title = "Conductors vs STEM field"
+++

Why aren't there more women conductors? This isn't a question that's leading towards accusations industry-wide gender inequality, thought it may very well be there. Perhaps it's because we're part of a younger generation of opera and classical music folks, but the idea of a woman taking the podium is not a controversial thing. No reasonable person would be opposed to the idea, and the only noteworthy thing about a *maestra* is the fact that she's rarer than a *maestro*.

One of the broader conversations about gender equality in the workplace is about women in STEM fields (****cite this****). There aren't enough of them, that equates to sexism, et cetera. The loudest of this bunch are met with a satisfying dose of reason, when statistics arise about what kind of subjects women pursue in post-secondary education. ****Cite this too***

Simply put, more men than women pursue STEM fields, and so these stats are reflected after graduation. We wonder about the parallels in our line of work: is conducting the STEM cell of the music industry?

Women conductors exist, but clearly in smaller numbers than men. Some may disagree, but music is a pretty progressive industry, and it seems unlikely that women are being shoved out of professional conducting jobs at any proportional rate, simply based on their being women. A lot of conductors in the opera field begin by being répétiteurs; it's anecdotal evidence, perhaps, but the majority of women coaches and reps that we've met have had little to no desire to "move on up" to the podium. Conversely, about half of the male coaches and répétiteurs we've met are doing it with the clear intent on becoming conductors themselves. We've never encountered a woman who wants to conduct, but can't seem to get out of the répétiteur rut.

Of course, there will be exceptions everywhere you look, but is there something inherent in conducting that's just more attractive to men than it is to women?

