Why dont many girls like prog?

Ok - I honestly find it kind of hilarious that *yet another* one of my interests has been deemed Boy Stuff. I mean, I'm used to it by now given I grew up being into space Lego and Star Wars and video games and whatnot; by the time I got to college (majoring in electrical engineering) I was so accustomed to being surrounded by dudes that encountering another female in my chosen territory often actively weirded me out.

That said...I think all this discussion of "why aren't more women into prog" is essentially the same conversation that happens when people start speculating on why more women aren't STEM majors / engineers/ etc. And the answer is the same: "it's complicated". Honestly, I think a lot of it is down to a feedback loop: way back in the day, before birth control and such, women were often relegated to a life of baby-having and domestic duties from a fairly young age. Now, even in first-world situations where we have more of a choice regarding such things, and where there is generally a built-in egalitarian expectation surrounding domestic labor proliferated throughout mainstream culture, little kids still get bombarded from all sides with expectations of gender-role performance. Even if it isn't overt or shoved down throats, so to speak, most children pick up and absorb a ton of ideas from their society and family groups, and are compelled, consciously or not, to behave accordingly. There *may* be a biological component to some of this, but I would assert it is minuscule compared to social feedback loops. I mean i have literally seen people try to claim that girls are drawn to pink because cave-women used to forage for red berries, which is just absurd, especially considering until around the 1930s or thereabouts, blue was considered a girl color and pink was for boys.

But in any event - I think that the women in modern first-world countries who end up getting into prog are going to be those who have, by virtue of early experiences, family environment, and possibly neurological makeup, managed to like what they like regardless of what the mainstream culture expects of girls. In my case I had a father who was into prog, plus I am on the autism spectrum, so maybe those things contributed. I never really felt beholden to acting like a "girl", Iat least in the sense of gravitation toward or away from particular interests based on gender role stuff.

Blacksword wrote: Some women obviously do like prog, but I think it's fair to say more men like it than women. It's not sexist or unreasonable to make that observation. It just is what it is. Why do more women than men like One Direction? Women prefer dancing to men, and are generally better at it. Most women I know prefer songs about human experiences, not science fiction, wizards or out of body experiences. I don't know why, they just do.

chopper wrote: Blacksword wrote: Some women obviously do like prog, but I think it's fair to say more men like it than women. It's not sexist or unreasonable to make that observation. It just is what it is.    That explains why the queue for the men's toilet at last weekend's Wishbone Ash concert was much longer than the queue for the ladies.

Indeed, and if you went to see Take That the queue for the ladies would be snaking around the perimiter of the arena, where as the mens would be tumbleweed country..

Blacksword wrote: Some women obviously do like prog, but I think it's fair to say more men like it than women. It's not sexist or unreasonable to make that observation. It just is what it is.

Some women obviously do like prog, but I think it's fair to say more men like it than women. It's not sexist or unreasonable to make that observation. It just is what it is.

Why do more women than men like One Direction?

Women prefer dancing to men, and are generally better at it. Most women I know prefer songs about human experiences, not science fiction, wizards or out of body experiences. I don't know why, they just do.

I have been married for a considerable period. My wife likes pop music - she primarily listens to "The Carpenters", "Rumer" and boy-bands - anything about love that is a ballad mostly. Is she representative of her age/sex? possibly. On the few occasions she has been exposed to progressive rock or metal she always says "How can you listen to that noise?" so I sigh and put my head-phones on and close my eyes.....Musically we are never going to be compatible....Opposites attract?? 

proger wrote: can you be in a long-term(live with) relationship with a female who does not like prog? i mean when you can feel she have no connection to the genre at all? its weird because for me some girls were super-nice and intelligent but they were listening to bruno mars and one direction( all that crap...), its hard...

I think that girls share their interests much more than guys. prog isn't easy to share because for many people it takes a while to understand it. Same reason it's not really on the radio anymore.

can you be in a long-term(live with) relationship with a female who does not like prog? i mean when you can feel she have no connection to the genre at all?

ExittheLemming wrote: Prog Snob wrote: ExittheLemming wrote: Prog Snob wrote: For the same reasons most girls don't play Dungeons and Dragons or become Tolkien fanatics. There is an elitism about it, something esoteric that most people do not get. That seems like a rather lazy association of ideas. Very little Prog actually makes reference to Elves, Goblins, Wizards or other typical elements of fantasy literature. This is only true for post-punk music journalists, and girls are clearly way too smart to either read or believe them. Perhaps the knowing irony of someone fashioned as 'Prog Snob' is an elitism and esotericism that people do not get? Well, my username is more facetious than anything. I find most prog fans and prog musicians to be exceedingly open minded in regards to music, which discredits labeling one as a prog snob. I don't think it's a "lazy association of ideas". I don't recall saying that prog makes references to the creatures you mentioned above. I was merely analogizing the esoteric cliques that are generally associated with such fanbases. Yeah, we all get the bit where 'facetious' becomes a virtue post-modern irony (love) When I was choosing my own user name I considered 'clueless hippy c.u.n.t' but dismissed this as a tad too inflammatory for the site's moderators. You appear to believe that people who might know little about Prog e.g 'girls' are put off by the very 'lazy association of ideas' that you clearly continue to disseminate. Why do you think that an aversion to Dungeons and Dragons or Tolkien is an obstacle to appreciating Prog? You will not meet anyone on this site who loathes both these 'esoteric cliques' with more unbridled vitriol than me (just ask Dean)