Female Representation in Orchestras: The Impact of Gender Equality, Chair Status, and Instrument Weight

ABSTRACT Gender disparities in the workplace remain widespread, and one domain in which these disparities have been causally linked to discrimination is in auditions for orchestras (Goldin & Rouse, 2000). This makes orchestras a compelling context for studying gender equality. I examined whether national-level gender equality and socioeconomic development predict the representation of females in orchestras, and whether this relationship is moderated by the status of the musician's chair or the physical weight of the instrument, reflecting culturally constructed gender roles and biologically based preferences as potential mechanisms. The dataset comprises 8,476 musicians from 98 orchestras across 59 countries. Results indicate that higher female representation is associated positively with one measure of national gender equality, as well as with socioeconomic development. Additionally, women were more likely to occupy second violin positions than first violin chairs and more likely to play light instruments than heavy ones. Notably, the difference in female representation between light and heavy instruments was larger in more gender-equal countries than in less gender-equal ones.