Why DO women like prog?

I almost got my mum to like DT by making her listen to the charlston-ish piece in the middle of Dance of Eternity. How's that for an achievement :D

The answer is a pretty obvious one to me, if a bit multifaceted. Girls and women are very capable of intellectual challenge, but the problem is largely a sociological one, in that most girls are discouraged from intellectual pursuits at a young age, either by parents or by peers. There is still an incredibly sexist peer pressure at the heart of most young womens' lives. Girls are told by their parents and by society that their prime interest needs to be finding a mate and having a baby. One must not underestimate the power of parental and peer pressure, it's very much a brainwashing indoctrination and is not easy to overcome once one has succumbed.

Secondly one must consider the public perception of the genre in the laypeople. The popular view is that Prog fans are elitist (not conducive to those who are brainwashed and therefore easily intimidated) and self indulgent, and that there is some blurring of the line in the general public perception between prog rock and classic rock bands. This combined with the appearance of mindless self-indulgence paints an (albeit very mistaken) image that Prog is the domain of the ego-driven "c*ck-rock" front-man, even though this couldn't be further from the truth.

While the second point is certainly a factor, really it all comes down to social conditioning and indoctrination. Much of society doesn't want young women to think for themselves, even though they may deny this, it still comes through in how young women are raised, and that can have a very powerful impact. We need to introduce our daughters to these concepts when they are incredibly young and encourage their neede to ask questions and explore their intellectual sides. Only then will this situation truly change.

Good post yes. Can't say I really agree though.

Snow Dog wrote: Good post yes. Can't say I really agree though.

ProgWytch wrote: Snow Dog wrote: Good post yes. Can't say I really agree though. Agree or not, that's your perogative

Edited by Snow Dog - April 11 2012 at 09:35

I should probably add also that while Prog has intellectual depth, much of it lacks emotional depth found in other genres, but that would just serve to stereotype women, and there's enough of that in the music community as it is. :p

ProgWytch wrote: I should probably add also that while Prog has intellectual depth, much of it lacks emotional depth found in other genres, but that would just serve to stereotype women, and there's enough of that in the music community as it is. :p

It does not have to be.  I am a guy and I agree to a large extent with that.  I don't think men should feel too proud about the stereotype that they like only technical music or dumb and decadent rock and roll and are unresponsive to sensitivity or fragility in music.  None of which is true, of course, but it would have to be if the tired old stereotype of women being 'emo' is.

[QUOTE=Dirk]Maybe a parallel with chess can be drawn? It's well known that there are much more male than female chessplayers, the reason that is usually given to explain this phenomenon is that men are more interested in focusing in depth on one specific  topic (such as chess) than women who generally have a broader field of interest.

I've noticed that fewer women are into chess than men, but I've never heard your explanation--usually I've heard (actually mostly read) that women are not as logical and more emotional, not as competitive, and/or that there's not as much chess educational opportunities for women. I believe (as Jennifer Shahade writes in her book, Chess Bitch) that women are just as capable.

As for women's interest in prog rock, as far as I can see, there tends to be generally less interest for women than men, but I'm not sure why. It's complicated though because there's so much variety in prog rock, women may be more drawn to some bands or subgenres of prog than others.


Edited by zwordser - April 11 2012 at 19:38

Dellinger wrote:   I don't necessarily agree with the stereotype that prog music has no emotion. It's just that perhaps prog songs don't necessarily rely in emotion to impact it's public, or, as the music is more complex than pop, it is more difficult to understand it, and so it is more difficult to "find" the emotions it trys to portray. Or, simply, it is capable of portraying a wider range of emotions than pop, and if it doesn't make you feel melancholy or pain over a lost or uncorresponded love, then people will say it isn't emotional... while perhaps the song is actually transmiting happiness.

Dellinger wrote: rogerthat wrote: ProgWytch wrote: I should probably add also that while Prog has intellectual depth, much of it lacks emotional depth found in other genres, but that would just serve to stereotype women, and there's enough of that in the music community as it is. :p It does not have to be.  I am a guy and I agree to a large extent with that.  I don't think men should feel too proud about the stereotype that they like only technical music or dumb and decadent rock and roll and are unresponsive to sensitivity or fragility in music.  None of which is true, of course, but it would have to be if the tired old stereotype of women being 'emo' is. I don't necessarily agree with the stereotype that prog music has no emotion. It's just that perhaps prog songs don't necessarily rely in emotion to impact it's public, or, as the music is more complex than pop, it is more difficult to understand it, and so it is more difficult to "find" the emotions it trys to portray. Or, simply, it is capable of portraying a wider range of emotions than pop, and if it doesn't make you feel melancholy or pain over a lost or uncorresponded love, then people will say it isn't emotional... while perhaps the song is actually transmiting happiness.

Well, that is at least how I understand emotions.  Emotional resonance has to be direct, it must reach out to the listener. If the listener has to understand first how it could be emotional, it is not emotional, it is analytical.  There is some prog that is emotionally resonant, I don't think I have said it isn't, but a lot of it isn't.  Which is fine, the stereotype that music has to necessarily be emotional is...just another stereotype.  Most academic music is meant to be listened to for the technicalities and complexities, not so much for the emotions (though those are a bonus where they are evident).