Women, Money and Music: Perception and Socio-Cultural Limits in Negotiating the "Value" of Art

Gender studies have repeatedly confirmed - even across cultures - how ‘women's work’ is often associated with the concept of ‘amateur’ rather than professional. In this reflection, gender studies applied to the cultural industry, and especially to the music business, where the concept of value is much more aleatory and passes through the recognition of audiences as well, also fit in. The Italian music industry carries with it a strong patriarchal imprint with a reduced presence of female artists and professionals, behind and on stage. The paper intends to present the first results of a broader study dedicated to the detection of the psycho-social and socio-cultural mechanisms that contribute to the creation of their own internal representations around the value of their work by women working in the music industry. The data was collected via CAWI submitted in the period between May and November 2024. The questionnaire consisted of three main sessions: the first dedicated to a reconstruction of the socio-demographic profile with a specific reference to one's own economic situation; the second relating to the financial education received and the factors that contributed to consolidating it; the third more centred on the experience of negotiating the economic value recognised for one's work. Finally, although women are aware of the importance of the economic issue for full independence, they often continue to place money outside their area of interest or competence.