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Why are there no female Audiophiles?
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Christoph-ASR
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Funny thread, isn't it just that women don't care about technology? I know few electrical engineers what women are.
There are many female artists/musicians. They also appreciate "tools." I know many who are much more knowledgeable than I am about violins and pianos. If you consider the term "audiophile" in a broader sense, not just limited to transducers and playback electronics, then there are actually quite a few females can be defined as audiophiles. But yeah like people said music is art, but audio is engineering. So it might be more of a art vs. engineering thing.
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Last year the USA headphone market was $2.4 billion. The handbag market was depending upon various sources $11 to $13 billion. The size of the entire USA home audio market was around $8.5 billion. The ladies are spending more on handbags than the ladies and men spend on audio.
Thanks @tmtomh @JeffS7444 and @kemmler3D for actually making a point...
Yes, it's sociology (and yes, you may add many other factors to the gender, but I won't go that road).
To the OP: you have a pretty clear answer to your wonderings by looking at this thread: I would start by obvious sexism in the audiophile community. If I was a woman and I had any interest in Audio, I would avoid this place like the plague after reading some of the posts above...
Last but not least, it is indeed a shame, particularly on such "science" forum, that most people are that confused about simple concepts like causes and consequences.
We really have some different experience with women, that's for sure...
Yes, it's sociology (and yes, you may add many other factors to the gender, but I won't go that road).
To the OP: you have a pretty clear answer to your wonderings by looking at this thread: I would start by obvious sexism in the audiophile community. If I was a woman and I had any interest in Audio, I would avoid this place like the plague after reading some of the posts above...
Last but not least, it is indeed a shame, particularly on such "science" forum, that most people are that confused about simple concepts like causes and consequences.
We really have some different experience with women, that's for sure...
Again, since this is a science forum, would you point any scientific study showing that genes affect the interest of using tools, or audio gears for what matters? (I mean, I thought I was aware about women's biological specificities, but maybe I forgot that part...). On the other hand, tho, I've heard and learnt about thousands of sociological studies explaining why women have been told to stay away from these "boy's" things...
Nobody? You're sure ? Would you order a drink at a bar, after just everyone in there is looking down at you once you pushed the door... ?
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raif71
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c'mon...nobody is looking down on anybody... right?Thanks @tmtomh @JeffS7444 and @kemmler3D for actually making a point...
Yes, it's sociology (and yes, you may add many other factors to the gender, but I won't go that road).
To the OP: you have a pretty clear answer to your wonderings by looking at this thread: I would start by obvious sexism in the audiophile community. If I was a woman and I had any interest in Audio, I would avoid this place like the plague after reading this thread.
We really have different experiences with women, that's for sure...
Since this is a science forum, would you point any scientific study showing that genes affect the interest of using tools, or audio gears for what matters? On the other hand, tho, I've heard and learnt about thousands of sociological studies explaining why women have been told to stay away from this "boy's" things...
Nobody? You're sure ? Would you order a drink at a bar, after just everyone in there is looking down at you once you pushed the door... ?
Women are very much so appearance oriented. If you own a "HiFi", you appear to be anal about some very small stuff that most people don't sweat over?
Nobody ?... Are you kidding ? Or you didn't read the thread at all ?c'mon...nobody is looking down on anybody... right?
raif71
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There's also the lady that prefers vintage marantz in another thread
Collen "Cosmo" Murphy
raif71
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I just hope we're not fighting over women now, coz men tend to do that
restorer-john
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Cut out the middle man (the lawyers). Find someone you hate and give them a house.
DavidMcRoy
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I suspect it has a lot to do with old social norms, a "boys club" thing where some men gravitate to a common interest with others for socializing opportunities. And as has been mentioned, it's often passed across generations, father to son, etc.
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splitting_ears
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Have a look there: https://user.faktiskt.io/lennartj/Audio/Audiofil-artikel_001.pdf
“Listen to These Speakers”: Swedish Hi-Fi Enthusiasts, Gender, and Listening
Sara Jansson - University of Gothenburg, Department of Cultural Sciences
“Listen to These Speakers”: Swedish Hi-Fi Enthusiasts, Gender, and Listening
Sara Jansson - University of Gothenburg, Department of Cultural Sciences
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danadam
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I wonder if this thread survives longer than the previous one
www.audiosciencereview.com
Why Aren't There Female Audiophiles?
Finally an answer. And yes, ASR is part of the problem.
www.audiosciencereview.com
Not many young men in those photos (say under 40) either, they seem to make up probably 5% of the pictures taken. I imagine you can go to similar conventions that are populated mainly by women, sometimes younger, sometimes older. I'm not sure it means that any group is being pushed away, but different strokes...
I am put in mind of how UGLY I find a lot of the speakers in the most beautiful speakers thread and that it is something of a rite of passage to becoming an audiophile to have a "shrine" of amplifiers and other equipment between the speakers and I think.....yeah, that might be why we don't see many women at these events.
I am put in mind of how UGLY I find a lot of the speakers in the most beautiful speakers thread and that it is something of a rite of passage to becoming an audiophile to have a "shrine" of amplifiers and other equipment between the speakers and I think.....yeah, that might be why we don't see many women at these events.
Blogpost by a female hifi dealer (in German) about "women and hifi":
hifi-pawlak.de
Frauen und HiFi - HiFi Pawlak!
Frauen und Hifi ist ein spannendes Thema. Eva berichtet hier über ihre Erfahrung und den meist männlichen Vorurteilen!
hifi-pawlak.de
RosalieTheDog
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I find this an interesting topic, and I look forward to read it more thoroughly.
Yes, the audiophile community is sexist. I find terms like "Wife Acceptance Factor" or tropes in reviews ("my wife heard the speaker from the kitchen (!) and even her naive judgment confirms that ...") awful.
More substantially though, I don't think any of this is specific to "audio". It is more that men, for whatever sociological reasons, tend to lose themselves more in their hobbies. Take collecting objects for instance, I wager that there too, men are overrepresented, independently of the object collected. Secondly, in my anecdotal experience, women, especially mothers, tend to spend less on themselves too, and think more about the household finances as a whole. Men tend to treat their wages more as personal earnings, that can be used for personal pleasure rather than for the good of the household or the family. In short, to answer this question, we need to look at the whole phenomenon of "boys and their toys".
Yes, the audiophile community is sexist. I find terms like "Wife Acceptance Factor" or tropes in reviews ("my wife heard the speaker from the kitchen (!) and even her naive judgment confirms that ...") awful.
More substantially though, I don't think any of this is specific to "audio". It is more that men, for whatever sociological reasons, tend to lose themselves more in their hobbies. Take collecting objects for instance, I wager that there too, men are overrepresented, independently of the object collected. Secondly, in my anecdotal experience, women, especially mothers, tend to spend less on themselves too, and think more about the household finances as a whole. Men tend to treat their wages more as personal earnings, that can be used for personal pleasure rather than for the good of the household or the family. In short, to answer this question, we need to look at the whole phenomenon of "boys and their toys".
JeremyFife
Major Contributor
She's nicked my record collection!!
Collen "Cosmo" Murphy
JeremyFife
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I *think* that if I were a woman, reading this thread I would not be amused at the way I was being characterised. I don't think I would feel included or welcome. We each need to examine our own prejudices and biases ... in all things. This place should be a welcoming space for anyone interested in learning. Start with that and who knows, perhaps that attitude will spread.
computer-audiophile
Major Contributor
My wife is definitely an audiophile. She already had an acceptable hi-fi system with a Technics turntable and big Sonofer speakers in her bachelor apartment when I met her. By accompanying me on my years of audio pilgrimages and participating in countless listening sessions, she also became an expert. I can very much relate to her about 'sound'. But she is indeed an exception in the men's circle.
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