This study attempts to address a gap in existing
subcultural research. While there has been extensive work
done on the experiences of men in subcultural groupings, the
examination of women's experiences is sadly lacking. Using
a combination of participant observation and ethnographic
interviewing, this study looks at the role women play in the
local rock music scene. Some interesting themes emerge that
challenge existing notions that women are either marginal or
absent from subcultural activity.
Women in the scene occupy a richly contradictory social
position. While they exercise an impressive degree of
sexual and financial autonomy, as illustrated by their
initiation of relationships and breadwinner roles in
partnerships with male musicians, they also adopt many goals
and behaviors typically associated with mainstream
constructions of proper femininty. Women in the rock scene
are seldom performers, instead they are concentrated i n the
role of the "nurturent caretaker" (Cole 1993: 89/90)
allowing the male musicians to retain recognition, prestige
and power in the scene. This construction of the male role
as central reflects the acceptance of patriarchal ideology
in the scene and obscures the contribution of women to the
material maintenance of the subculture.
Women's roles in the scene can be characterized as a
simultaneous acceptance and rejection of mainstream
prescriptions for feminine behavior. While women in the
rock scene are undeniably the focus of much sexual
objectification and exploitation, they cannot be viewed as
either passive or dependent. Women are described by scene
members as sexually powerful decision makers, and although
women's power is cast in disappointingly sexual terms, it is
the active nature of this sexuality that leads me to
describe women not as "passive" sexual objects, but rather
as "active" sexual objects.
Women's experiences in the rock scene are inextricably
linked to heterosexual relations with male musicians. While
rock women focus on the same goals of marriage and
motherhood as mainstream women, their relationships are
characterized by complications imposed by the rock
lifestyle. According female participants, the overt
sexuality of the scene, lack of financial stability , and the
consuming nature of the music business combine to challenge
the maintenance of a healthy relationship with a musician.
However, while women's willingness to deal with such
obstacles is puzzling, it can be seen as determination to
transcend traditional limitations on masculine and feminine
roles. The rock scene, despite its disproportionate
consequences for women, offers both women and men
alternatives to mainstream constructions of masculinity and
femininity. The scene is identified by both female and male
participants as offering excitement, spontaneity and passion
absent in mainstream society. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/3700 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Hammond, Leanne |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 5454755 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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