Women get just 21% of classical commissions and 14% of PhDs

A survey by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) has revealed huge gender and race inequalities in the granting of music commissions and degrees.

The survey, conducted by Natalie Bleicher , is based on works submitted to the 2015 British Composer Awards.

It shows that:

only 6% of commissioned composers are Black or Minority Ethnic (BAME), against their 14% share of the UK population;

just 21% of commissioned composers are female;

The percentage of women decreases at each level of study –

While 39% of Bachelor’s degrees are won by women, only 14% of PhDs are female.

Full results will be published in Basca’s house magazine later this month.