Open Up your iTunes, Spotify, or an old mp3 player library. Look through the artists you listen to, really look.

How many of them are women?

Can you count them all on one hand? Can you count them all on two? Three? Maybe four? How does that number compare to the number of male artists you listen to? Don’t forget to count the angsty all-male rock bands.

At this point, it’s pretty likely you’ve realized you don’t listen to enough women.

Now look through the women artists. How many of them are PoC? LGBT+? How many are singing about something that isn’t men? Do you only need one hand to count them all now?

Gender inequality in our society is a lot like your music library. You have to actively make a decision to liken for it and share it. Put in the time, put in the effort, you’ll be glad you did.

Ivy Weston ‘19, President of Writer’s Club sums up the relationship between the music we listen to and the lives we lead: “If you’re not listening to women, PoC, and LGBT+ people in your music are you going to listen to them anywhere else?”