Whose Worship? An Examination of Women’s Gendered Experiences in the Contemporary Worship Music Industry

Abstract

For Evangelical Christians in North America, the contemporary worship music industry is the primary source of music for radio play, private devotion, and Sunday morning worship services (Ingalls 2018). As the industry has developed, it has become increasingly difficult for women to pursue musical leadership (Loepp Thiessen 2022). This dissertation examines women's gendered experiences in the contemporary worship music ecosystem. Though they face spiritualized limitations, women in the industry contribute through a range of both public facing and concealed roles. Through 22 qualitative interviews with women songwriters, worship leaders, and industry professionals, I examine the factors that dictate their experiences both of limitation and of finding empowerment. The concept of “gendered stages” (McCusker 2017) is used to organize the different facets of women’s experiences: setting the stage (Chapter 3) by exploring their leadership in the early days of the industry; “on stage” (Chapter 4) as worship leaders, instrumentalists, or background vocalists, “off stage” (Chapter 5) as songwriters, producers, or audio/visual supports; and when they have been monitored on stage (Chapter 6) for their gender and sexuality, sometimes resulting in exclusion from the industry. I present case studies of women in each of these stages, interrogating how Evangelical values intertwine with women's careers and personal lives. Ultimately, this project builds upon literature which interrogates questions of agency and empowerment in conservative religious contexts (Avishai 2008, Burke 2012), and explores how women in the Christian music industry thrive in spaces that present limitations.