Carrie Underwood Explains Why Women Get The ‘Short End’ In Country Music

Are women getting the short end of the stick in the country music industry? Carrie Underwood thinks so, and recently explained why, during an interview with Billboard.

Despite Carrie’s success as one of the number one female country music artists, she explains that it is not that easy for other women to break into the industry, and when they do, it seems as though there isn’t enough room for more than one or two of them at a time. Shockingly, Underwood was only one of three country music women that made it to the Billboard’s Top 25 charts in 2013, out of the hundreds of women country music singers out there.

“You would think that we would be farther along in the thinking about women in country music,” she said. “I like to think things are getting better, but then I see stats like [the one revealed above] and realize that women really do seem to get the short end.”

So, why is it so hard for women to make it into the industry? Carrie says it’s not from a lack of female artists. “There is certainly not a shortage of talented ladies out there that want so badly to get their fair shot in this business,” she said. “But there seems to be only room for only a few.”

Carrie made her way to fame when she won the title of season four’s American Idol. She admits that if she hadn’t made it to Idol, that she would probably still be struggling to be heard today.

“We see new male artists have their first single reach No. 1 on the charts, but it generally takes a female a lot longer to build momentum,” she said. “I know that I am an exception to this, but I [also] know that if I hadn’t made my place in country music via ‘American Idol,’ I probably could have tried to make it for the rest of my life and never made any progress.”

Carrie also reveals that women in the country music industry have to watch what they sing about. Men can sing about laying out drunk all night, but women are scrutinized if they do the same. “I don’t think women can get away with the partying, beer-drinking, hung-over, truck-driving kind of music that a lot of the guys have gotten away with lately. It seems women are expected to be so much more than men, which means we have to work that much harder,” she explained.

“We’re the ones under the microscope,” she continued. “We’re expected to sound perfect. We’re expected to look perfect all the time. We’re expected to be style-setters, whereas the boys roll onto the stage in their jeans, T-shirts and baseball caps. I don’t know what we all can do to change this. But I do hope it does change. I would love to see more women making their mark in the music that I love so much… There are so many more out there just waiting for their shot. I hope they get it!”

Do you agree with Carrie Underwood’s opinions? Leave your comments below.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]