مطالعه نقش جنسیت در عرصه موسیقی شهری ایران با تأکید بر زنان (مطالعه موردی: آموزشگاه‌ها و ارکسترهای موسیقی شهر تهران در سال 1397)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between gender and instrument and sound choice in urban music in Iran and a case study of the city of Tehran in 2018, highlighting the role of women. This study was conducted with two groups of students (novice musicians) and professional musicians (professionals). Investigating the ratio between the number of women and men at the beginning of artistic activity and the result of this ratio among professional musicians and teachers, as well as exploring the reasons why men are more present than women in professional activity, are the main issues investigated in this paper. For many years and in different parts of the world, playing and singing certain instruments in certain styles and rituals has been traditional and handed down as a particular responsibility of a certain gender. Although the origins of this monopoly are often not known precisely, in some cases these laws are so well established that breaking them can lead to disqualification and shame for the offender and, in some societies, even more serious consequences.
Background: Among the articles that are somehow related to the topic of this discussion, we can mention historical research. Regarding the role of gender in the selection of instruments and vocals in Iranian urban music based on field data, no independent research has been done so far. In Iran and urban music, unlike in many other societies, there are no customary or legal prohibitions, such as in the case of musical instruments, which are subject to strict gender prohibitions. Although some instruments, such as the harp, were considered reserved for women and others for men, there were serious legal restrictions on women singing in the presence of men.
In recent years, social developments and the self-confidence of Iranian women in various fields have led to a sharp increase in women's access to music and singing. The number of women and girls learning to play and sing in institutes is significantly higher among men than among women, although this increase has not yet been reflected in the music profession. In this article, we have sought to answer the following key questions
- What is the relationship between gender and musical instrument and song choice among students in Tehran?
- What is the relationship between the number of females and males at the beginning of music education and their outcomes?
- Why are there currently more men than women in the professional field of urban music?
Research Method: This research is considered as applied research. The research method used in this article is descriptive-analytical. Data was collected both in the library and the field. The field method used observation, interviews, and questionnaires to collect most of the data. The questionnaire was handwritten and the questions were designed to be both open and closed. The questionnaires and interviews were conducted face-to-face and consisted of an attitude questionnaire. The statistical sample consisted of 50 students from ten music institutes in Tehran and 40 teachers and professional musicians working in institutes and orchestras in Tehran. It should be noted that the survey is limited in time to 2018 and concerns only the city of Tehran. The method of data analysis was quantitative and qualitative.
Results: The main focus of this article was to investigate gender and urban music in Tehran, focusing on women and based on statistical results among students and professional teachers. To answer the first research question, professional musicians were interviewed in addition to the developed questionnaire. The result of the survey was that people working in music do not believe that gender is directly related to the choice of instrument or sound. Although certain physical characteristics, such as the softness of women's hands, go some way toward explaining the extent to which men and women accept different instruments, the results do not fully explain this relationship.
Based on a review of existing literary sources and the results of field research, including separate questionnaires to music students and teachers and statistics on the number of male and female students in Tehran's music institutes, the following can be concluded: Although the presence of women in music is limited, the presence of women in our country is legitimate and common because it has existed throughout the history of this border and this region - and, based on the research of non-Persian sources in many parts of the world - and because of the presence of women in our country, as a result of the many changes that have taken place in recent years, which have shaped society's perception of many things, including women's music, women are showing great interest in the field of music, so that even in a category such as women's singing - which is subject to serious legal and juridical obstacles - the number of trained women is higher than that of men.
Therefore, the answer to the second research question suggests that there are more female students than male students. To find out why the number of females singing teachers is higher than the number of male teachers, despite legal and religious barriers, several leading figures in women's music in this country were interviewed separately and given a questionnaire in addition to the answers to the questionnaire. In addition to the positive aspects of this presence, which, if properly channeled, can lead to the emergence of leading female artists in our country, the interviews also revealed certain weaknesses. One of the factors mentioned by women activists in the music sector themselves is that the proliferation of social networks in recent years, which has made it possible to publish artistic works without legal procedures and strict official controls, is a factor that encourages more and more women to participate in this field. However, this presence and the large number of women in the works performed, which are mostly weak in terms of musical principles, are mostly due to the spirit of the art, achieved by relying on talent and, after going through difficult learning phases, simply by the desire to be seen and known.
This has encouraged many women to take singing lessons without having any singing skills, and in the same way, the number of people interested in taking music lessons seems to be decreasing. In any case, in a vocal performance, the singer is more visible, and the musicians who play the main role in creating the work are less visible to the public. As a result, many young girls begin to learn an instrument, but few continue to play until they reach master level. In the long run, this problem is likely to lead to a shortage of reliable musicians and, on the other hand, we are faced with a large number of singers who, in most cases, do not have sufficient professional skills and can only perform like a mannequin in front of a videographer's camera, making gestures that often have nothing to do with the genre of music. Performing, acting, and acting. Although the above example is not exclusive to women, it can also be observed in male musicians and their transformation into advertising celebrities.  This situation affects the quality of Iranian music and leads to a change in the public perception of women's music and moral abuse by sponsors who do not specialize in music at all and have entered the industry for dubious money.
In response to the third question of the survey, although there are more women music teachers, there are fewer women than men in music and vocational institutes. In addition to the restrictions imposed by Sharia law, the masculine climate in music also plays a role. Because men have to earn money with what they learn after studying music, this monopoly is largely maintained, and institutions and orchestras are generally more interested in hiring men than women. In addition to the prevailing patriarchal climate, the social status of men based on the generation of family income, and the withdrawal of women from professional activities after marriage, one of the reasons for the withdrawal of women was a certain degree of sexual abuse towards them.
The authors of the study also found that, unlike in many parts of the world where there are long and well-established traditions of segregating musical instruments by gender, there are no such problems in Tehran's urban music, and there are no instruments reserved exclusively for men or women, the learning and playing of which is taboo for the opposite sex. Moreover, in recent years, Iranian women musicians have not been content with learning all kinds of musical idiosyncrasies, and this is a positive and valuable fact that can have a positive impact on Iranian music.