Dolly. Reba. Loretta. Patsy. Tammy. Then later, Shania. Faith. Carrie. Miranda.

You don’t even need to write out their full names; if you know anything about country music, you know who they are. These performers have been, and are, part of the very foundation of country music, yet for whatever reason women in the industry are finding themselves marginalized.

Country music is something of a boy’s club, especially on the radio. Whether it harkens back to Nashville (a.k.a. “Southern values”) or if it’s something more insidious in modern culture, female country musicians are having a much harder time making it big. Radio air time — which is key for any emerging artist — is in short supply for women.

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