TomatoGate: Women in Country Music

Carrie Underwood. Tricia Yearwood. Dolly Parton. Reba McIntire. Shania Twain. Even those who hate the twang of country music know these names. They, along with newer stars like Kelsea Ballerini and Gabby Barrett, have defined the term “women in country music.” But ask anyone to name a country star, and they’ll default to the men played far more often on the radio.

…And here lies the root of the problem. Sexism and the music industry are two things that have been intertwined for years, and due to incredible women like Taylor Swift, people are finally starting to take notice. However, one scandal continues to have ramifications throughout the music world, and though it remains unnoticed by many, TomatoGate is still leaving a mark.

In 2015, Keith Hill, a radio consultant, tried to give advice to broadcasters by telling them what to play. He recommended leaving women out of the charts and never playing two women back to back, saying, “Trust me, I play great female records and we’ve got some right now; they’re just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females.”

This comment sparked outrage in the country music community. It became a topic of discussion and gave a name to an issue that has been around for as long as country music. Martina McBride sold shirts that said “Tomato” and artists discussed the issue at CMT’s Next Women of Country show.

However, the fight for equal rights (and equal airtime) hasn’t lasted. Although it is still a battle many are continuing to fight, the need for change has not gone away. If anything, women are being played less. In 2018, the Tennessean reported that only 10.4% of airtime went to women-led songs (in comparison to 13% in 2016) and according to multiple sources, this number has dropped to 10% this past year.

Though up-and-coming artists like Kelsea Ballerini, Maddie and Tae, and Maren Morris are succeeding, data shows that they are in the minority. Says music industry executive Todd Cassetty: “I think the trap that we get into… is that we see something like Maren happen that we’re all super excited about… and we’re all like, ‘Look at us. Females are doing better.’ That’s one female.” We cannot base our standards for equality on the few women succeeding while many others are not being allowed to.

It’s not like the lack of girl power on the country charts has gone unnoticed. Back in 2019, when Reba McEntire hosted the 54th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, she couldn’t ignore the absence of even a single woman in the category of Entertainer of the Year. Commenting on the then-recent snow in Las Vegas, she added, “It was so cold, it froze us women out of entertainer of the year… but you know what, that didn’t bother Kacey Musgraves, because she’s too busy carrying all of her Grammys around.” Anyone who remembers 2019 has to remember it as the year songs like “Rainbow” were heard everywhere. The whole world recognized Musgraves’ talent, so why couldn’t country music?

Entertainer of the Year has been an ACM category that is continuously problematic. According to writer Daniel Montgomery, out of the 50 times an Entertainer of the Year has been named, a woman has only won 11 times. Only two of the women (Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift) who have won have done so more than once, and they both did so during a period of time in which fans voted for the winner (excluding Underwood’s third win in 2020, in which she tied with Thomas Rhett). In the past five years, a woman has been nominated for Entertainer of the Year only twice, and both times the nominee was Carrie Underwood.

Clearly, country music fans appreciate music led by women. So why are women not succeeding in radio representation or award shows? In these cases, success is not fan-driven, but derives from the leaders of the music industry. The actions of the people at the top have ramifications that impact everyone below them, and if women are not seen on the country charts, it can have an incredibly detrimental impact. If young girls do not see role models in the media, they will not have the inspiration to make their own futures. What happens now will have a continual effect on the next generation, so it is imperative that women are given equal opportunities now.

That’s not to say no progress has been made. In 2021, the ACM nominees for Single of the year were all women, and women dominated many categories, though not a single woman was nominated for Entertainer of the Year. And who could forget the powerful performance of Girl Crush by the women of country music at the 2019 CMA Awards? From the trio of female hosts (Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Carrie Underwood), to the support between artists (Garth Brooks giving Kelsea Ballerini a shoutout during his acceptance speech will always be one of my favorite television moments), to this incredible performance, the 2019 CMA awards exemplified the slow progress being made in the country music industry. However, this progress is exactly that: slow, and it is up to those in charge to accelerate it.

From the lack of representation on the country charts to nominations at award shows, there is no shortage of inequality in country music. In order to preserve the charm of the country music community, women must be not only allowed in, but encouraged. Without equality in radio stations, especially when considering that the Grand Ole Opry, the heart of country music, was born as a radio broadcast, there will not be equality in the industry as a whole.