Perhaps, although if I think back to ratio of female to male students at my university (1 male; maybe 20 females)- and I would assume the music colleges to be the same- then it seems that something elseis at play here.

Really? I don`t think so.

Women love Flutes.
Women love Men.

Women love Men who play Flutes.

Assuming Women have more control over musical venues that they and their spouses see...
Women would pay money to see male flutists perform over female flutists.

DING! DING! DING!

See? `Snot just true in Rock-and-roll.

"Women would pay money to see male flutists perform over female flutists."

For this female at least, that is rubbish!

And to snotjello: I still disagree with your statement because Females outnumber males at all levels in education, not just school. If 70% of flute students at the Royal Academy in London are female, one could expect that 70% of female performers are female, but I don`t think this is the case. Now people who study at the Royal academy don`t just get bored and give up. So this can`t be reason that women are outnumbered by men.

I have to say I have no idea why it should be the case. Men certainly don`t possess any more inate talent. I`d be inclined to believe it`s just another case of the glass ceiling that women in high-flying careers seem to hit.

Well if Major Orchestra auditions are usually blind and Solo performance is based on audience draw there isn`t a glass ceiling.

I think a lot of Women choose to go into education fields rather than competitive performance fields... maybe that`s where they are dissapearing too.

Some music majors enter business fields too.

Not being female, I`m not really looking to be discriminated against and so probably wouldn`t notice it as readily. But the idea that there`s some conspiracy to keep women out of musical performance is... imaginative, I think.

We`re just sucking the fun right out of this thread.

its just that most guys usually don`t want to play all the pretty parts that flutes play. Girls like pretty stuff...and its kinda strange to see a guy wanting to play pretty and soft muisc, so guys choose instruments with more power and intensity.

I think the emotional security of males, in general, is far more precarious than for females. Perhaps this is genetic, in that women need a lot of emotional stability reserves to cope with looking after young children.

Perhaps most males are so insecure that, given the choice, choose to play loud, aggressively toned, or large instruments, in order to give some sort of pseudo-support for their emotional security.

It stands to reason then, that males who take up the flute are made of much stronger stuff, especially if they have to put up with sexist and homophobic comments and insinuations.

Perhaps it is this stronger stuff that enables them to be more likely to persevere to become professional players.

This is in response to a comment you made on the first page.

"And I guess `Thomas` is away today. I suppose he/she is a guy."

Yes, Arak, you guessed it, I am, in fact, a guy! *applause* However, I don`t play flute, I play saxophone. What led you to believe that I did?

Also, I wasn`t "away," I was just sleeping. I`m not a morning person, dude.

Thomas

Mrs. C., you wrote something very interesting :
" If 70% of flute students at the Royal Academy in London are female, one could expect that 70% of female performers are female, but I don`t think this is the case.?"
I`m hoping that you are wrong in that 100% of the female performers are females.

IMH(uesless)O, there is no justification for any difference in the numbers of female vs. male flute performers.
I believe that in my locale, there is somewhat of a tendancy to perpetuate the myth that the flute is a "girls instrument" but I see no rationale behind this assumption and am dumbfounded when I often see the fairer and smarter sex actually perpetuating this myth. -perhaps they think that this is an area where they can diminish the competition by removing the males from the equation.

Now, if the whole human race assumed that only girls like pretty stuff..., it would make it a problem for the human race to perpetuate itself. As a boy, I kind of liked being in a section of the band where there were more girls .

I do think that in Symphonys and soloists, the numbers of female/male performers on flute as well as other instruments is equaling out from the past days when women were expected to stay home and raise the kids.
I think that as flutists (or Flautists-whatever) we owe it to our craft to encourage all to play. That way the next Galway, Boyd, Still, Debost or Moyse won`t be turned off by some stupid prejudice and be able to fulfill their capability to advance the art of flute playing to it`s next level.
~Bilbo

I think the gender issue is completely irrelevant to a good flute player. It is true that most famous and proffesional flute players tend to be men, as do the great composers, a fact of which i`ve never understood, yet your all good flute players who should know better than to argue about gender!!

I`m hoping that you are wrong in that 100% of the female performers are females.

*blushes* Oh dear... I`m sure I MEANT to say something much more intelligent )

I`m not suggesting there is a conspiracy- just the age old problem of women not reaching the top of their profession.