MPs to question music festival representatives on gender-balanced line-ups and tackling sexual harassment
Women’s safety at live music events and the gender balance of festival line-ups is the focus of the fourth session of the Women and Equalities Committee’s misogyny in music inquiry. MPs will question representatives of Primavera Sound and End of the Road festivals, the Association of Independent Festivals and the Musician’s Union, on action to tackle sexual harassment and assault at events and protect both artists and audiences.
Meeting details
Over four in ten women under 40 have experienced unwanted sexual behaviour at a UK festival. The Committee has also received written evidence from individuals working in the industry, including one highlighting a poor experience of reporting harassment at an event.
The BBC found that last year only one in ten headliners were female at the UK’s top music festivals. Primavera Sound in Barcelona was the first major festival to achieve a 50/50 gender balanced line-up in 2019.