Industry responds to ‘painfully disappointing’ government inaction following Misogyny In Music Inquiry

Black Lives In Music (BLiM), Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) and the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) have responded to the Government’s rejection of recommendations made in the Women and Equalities Committee’s January Misogyny in Music report to help protect women in the music industry from harassment and discrimination despite hearing evidence from women, experts and organisations in the sector.

Although the Government confirmed that it is ‘clear that everyone should be able to work in the music industry without being subject to misogyny and discrimination’, it would not accept the committee’s recommendations for action including:

• Imposing a duty on employers to protect workers from sexual harassment by third parties
• Taking ‘legislative steps’ to amend the Equality Act to ensure freelance workers have the same protections from discrimination as employees
• Extending the time limit for bringing Equality Act-based claims to an employment tribunal from three to six months
• Prohibiting the use of non-disclosure and other forms of confidentiality agreements in cases involving sexual abuse, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, bullying or harassment, and discrimination relating to a protected characteristic

ISM chief executive Deborah Annetts said: ‘The Misogyny in Music report should have been a moment of immediate and lasting change for the music industry. The report laid bare the incredibly serious problems the sector has and the entirely reasonable steps Government should take the rectify them. For the Government to choose not make music safer for women is painfully disappointing, if sadly not surprising. The brilliant women who make our music industry what it is.’

The committee held a follow-up evidence session relating to its Misogyny in Music report in Parliament this afternoon.

Although the Government recognised the importance of the Committee’s inquiry and confirmed it would ‘will continue to engage constructively with the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority as it develops its proposals’, it said it had ‘no plans to implement the dual discrimination provision in the Equality Act 2010 at this time’ as ‘there could be unintended consequences’ from a retrospective moratorium on non-disclosure agreements.

Charisse Beaumont, chief executive of BliM which recently launched its YourSafetyYourSay survey, said: ‘Though it's heartening to see the government’s willingness to engage with the CIISA, their oversight of the unique challenges faced by women in our sector is profoundly disheartening. To dismiss the need for the dual discrimination provision in the Equality Act 2010 as “unnecessary” reveals a grave misunderstanding or, worse, a blatant disregard by the government. Intersectional discrimination is a harsh reality for countless women in our industry.’