{"id":20507,"date":"2026-02-27T15:22:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=20507"},"modified":"2026-02-27T15:22:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:22:18","slug":"gender-inequality-in-european-dj-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/20507\/gender-inequality-in-european-dj-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender inequality in European DJ culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this fast-moving world, everybody needs a way to feel free. One of the ways our generation does this is clubbing. According to Weeztix<\/a> which is<\/span> \u200b\u200ba ticketing and event management company in the Netherlands<\/span>, \u201cclubs still attract young audiences, with a stable core of 18- to 26-year-olds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As a member of this generation, I can say we love to lose ourselves in music and be free on the dance floor. It\u2019s a way to forget our worries and enjoy nightlife.<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the decks, DJs work, enjoy the crowd, and observe the space\u2014yet female DJs face challenges we rarely see. Clubs are still dominated by male DJs. According to Live DMA<\/a> , 92% of headliners at European festivals are men, and most festival programmers remain male.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why does this happen? What keeps female DJs from being equally represented?<\/span><\/p>\n

21-year-old Irish Holly Foyle ( stage name Hush puppy)\u00a0 from Dublin agrees with these statements and shares her experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a female DJ\u2026 There’s a lot to be said for it because it is such a male-centered industry. Lineups still often have 10 guys and one girl, and trying to be taken seriously is\u2026 a real challenge. Misogyny is rampant in the scene,\u201d Holly says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly started DJing at 16 after she bought the decks for Christmas.\u00a0 \u201cAs soon as I turned 16, I was like, wait, I need to be a DJ right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

[Holly Foyle also known as DJ Hush Puppy, Photographer: Kate Lawlor]<\/p><\/div>Female DJs face pressure in the form of misogyny, harassment, undermining, objectification, exclusion, stereotyping, isolation, fear of retaliation, and pressure in social media.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly recalls playing in Amsterdam:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was DJing there, there wasn\u2019t proper security. Two guys were beside me all night, trying to take videos and show me how to DJ. The male DJs before me didn\u2019t get that. It was obvious how differently people reacted to a female DJ.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the European Composer & Songwriting Alliance<\/a>, 60% of women in the music industry believe it is \u201cgenerally discriminative,\u201dand 3 in 5 experienced harassment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly also talks about why female DJs are often afraid to speak publicly about these struggles:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGiving out about promoters or other DJs can be scary\u2026 you could be worried you wouldn\u2019t get booked again, or that people would think, \u2018oh, she\u2019s really bitchy.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She recalls an Irish Instagram account, <\/span>Too Many Men \u00c9ire<\/span><\/i>, where female DJs and FLINTA artists shared anonymous experiences, many involving sexual harassment:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe page blew up in two days… hundreds shared their stories of misogyny from male DJs or promoters\u2026 It eventually shut down because the founder received so much hate. That shows how big the issue is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

[the screenshot of the instagram account Too Many Men \u00c9ire]\u00a0<\/p><\/div>Holly sees the Netherlands as a slightly better environment for female DJs:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t speak for the Netherlands in detail, but nightlife there is easier and more respected than in Ireland.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When I asked her what advice she would give her younger self, Holly says:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBack yourself 100%. Believe that your passion is enough. Don\u2019t be afraid to make mistakes and stand up for yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For young DJs today, her words are a reminder that passion, resilience, and self-belief are essential to navigating an industry still grappling with gender inequality.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this fast-moving world, everybody needs a way to feel free. One of the ways our generation does this is clubbing. According to Weeztix which is \u200b\u200ba ticketing and event management company in the Netherlands, \u201cclubs still attract young audiences, with a stable core of 18- to 26-year-olds.\u201d As a member of this generation, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4159,"featured_media":20514,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acls","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGender inequality in European DJ culture - International Journalism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gender inequality in European DJ culture - International Journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this fast-moving world, everybody needs a way to feel free. 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