Speaking from my personal experience, it’s been incredibly rare for the work of incredible female composers, musicians, band managers and the like to be represented in our course work.

In Critical Studies Modernism, we haven’t come across a single female (rest assured there are many to talk about. Lisa Lim is fantastic, and Australian if you are interested).

In Critical Studies Musical Theatre, there wasn’t a lot of talk of females and how the young changed the genre themselves. The only time we spoke about them was for the listening list when, of course, there were female vocalists.

In Foundations of Western Art, we only spoke about a single woman, Schumann and the teacher spoke about how it wasn’t just a boys club, only to continue with all men and a single slide dedicated to Schumann

In the elective, radio and the industry, there have been no discussion of women except as groupies.

I have many more units to go. I have spoken with past students only to be told it is like this the rest of the way,

Except in Performance Studies 6, when slides seeped in misogyny are there to ask if Lady Gaga has sent back the feminist movement.

This university is full of future female composers, future female performers, future academics like myself. We deserve to be told about women that have been in our shoes, and not just as a one off slide every now and again.

I am asking students of our university to sign if you agree more females of the industry (past and present), need to be explored in an academic sense.

Thank you.