Quotes:
“My quartet once sought feedback on a Barber quartet from a male coach I had come to love and respect. “Honestly, you sound like a bunch of polite women,” he said during the coaching. I likely don’t need to clarify that this was not a compliment.”
“Why aren’t more women being recognized for visionary artistic leadership in Chicago’s contemporary music scene—and why aren’t more women providing that visionary leadership in the first place? … the research Sandberg discusses in Lean In can help us answer these questions.
1. Women musicians, like all women, pay a “likability tax” when they are self-promoting, assertive, and successful. …
2. Women musicians are less likely to embark on high visibility projects, take professional risks, and conceive of themselves as leaders—which leaves them at a distinct disadvantage in developing entrepreneurial careers. …
3. Women consistently underestimate their own talents and abilities, leaving them at a disadvantage in the essential realm of self-promotion. …
4. When choosing who to hire, men are significantly more likely to choose a man. …
5. Similarly, senior men are more likely to mentor young men than young women. …
6. Women are taught from an early age to worry about whether they can have children and a career. …
I bring these findings, and my own experiences and observations, forward for three very important reasons:
1. I believe that women rarely get the opportunity to discuss the psychological and emotional limitations that gender socialization has created within them. …
2. I believe that many men are not aware of these issues, because their life experience has not required them to be. … But I also believe that my male colleagues care deeply about equality and want a thriving musical ecosystem where all voices can be heard. …
3. … I had a responsibility to share what I had learned.”