"Sometimes it Feels Like Being in a Parallel World": Life Worlds and (Gendered) Challenges of Women Songwriters in Germany.

This chapter is based on a qualitative interview study of the life worlds of ten women songwriters in Germany. It addresses the hypothesis that women songwriters, as part of the patriarchal structures of the music business, exist in a parallel society where they are underrepresented and confronted with gender-specific challenges that are often not perceived as such by their environment. The question of how the interviewees managed to gain a foothold in a male-dominated world is explored; the general and gender-specific challenges and stressors that come with the (musical) socialization and everyday life of songwriters are elaborated. Empowerment strategies are discussed and perspectives are presented that may contribute to a (structural) change and an improvement to the working and living conditions of songwriters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]