Sexism in Music Hits. Audiovisual Perception of Prospective Teachers

Abstract

Consumer music appeals to the masses, through a rhythm that captivates its listeners, without assessing whether the content promotes sexism. In this context, a mixed-method qualitative and quantitative study has been carried out, focusing on the audiovisual analysis of the summer hits of 2021. A total of 112 students from the Primary Education Degree participated to assess their impressions of four songs selected for their popularity and whether they would play this music in a school setting. The results show that consumer music has a diverse effect, ranging from acceptance (43%), when the focus is on entertainment; to rejection (41%), when the objectification of women and the sexist message are identified; to indifference (16%), due to the lack of emotional response or incomprehension of the lyrics (38%). Moreover, 17% of participants stated they would listen to this music with their future students in the classroom. The research highlights the difficulty of recognising sexism and underscores the need for awareness campaigns and training programs for teachers, students, and music producers in order to learn to identify it through a critical pedagogy, thus preventing discriminatory content.