Mind the gap

You might have thought - as I did - that the gender gap within pop in particular is narrowing. Not so - in fact, it's widening, largely thanks to the trend for collaborations: women are releasing fewer solo hit singles, while the number of successful female/male hook-ups has increased. As John Legend has commented, it also doesn't help that hip-hop (largely male) has assumed chart dominance at the expense of classic pop.

It would be fascinating to know about the gap within other, non-mainstream spheres of music such as "indie", punk and electronica - I suspect that it might have narrowed there (even if it might be harder to quantify given that it can't be measured so straightforwardly in terms of chart success). It's debatable whether there really are more female solo artists and all-female bands than ever before, or whether such artists and bands are just belatedly being given the recognition and prominence they deserve - but either way, it does feel as though there's been some progress.