MUTEK, Worldwide Festival sign gender equality pledge to hit 50/50 target by 2022

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    Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 18:40
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  • They're among 45 festivals and conferences to have committed to eradicating male-dominated lineups within five years.
  • MUTEK, Worldwide Festival sign gender equality pledge to hit 50/50 target by 2022 image
  • 45 music festivals and conferences, including MUTEK and Gilles Peterson's Worldwide, have signed a pledge to eliminate male-dominated lineups by 2022. All the events have committed to achieving or maintaining a 50/50 gender balance in their programming within five years. The initiative, called Keychange, has been organised by the talent development body PRS Foundation. Other festivals who have signed up include Berlin's Pop-Kultur and Iceland Airwaves. (You can find the comprehensive list here.) "Last year, on average, women made up 26% of the festival lineups in the UK, so we're talking about doubling that in a five-year timeframe," PRS Foundation's CEO, Vanessa Reed, told the BBC. A 2017 study by the broadcaster showed that 80% of headliners on major UK festival lineups were male. In 2016, THUMP found that all 24 festival lineups they surveyed were majority male. (CTM Festival had the highest number—45%—of women on the bill.) Photo credit: Pierre Nocca
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