// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
Female DJs call out 'blatant misogyny' and harassment in nightlife scene
Female DJs have described experiencing "blatant misogyny", harassment and intimidation while performing and said women are often treated as "guests" rather than professionals behind the decks.
Anna McAteer, Andrea Shearer and Julie Dunne have all spoken about experiences ranging from unwanted interference with equipment and inappropriate comments to physical intimidation.
They said the problem reflects wider attitudes towards women working in nightlife, rather than being the fault of the venues and promoters themselves.
Shearer said she had "never really seen it happen to a male colleague".
"I just still think that there's a bit of an attitude that women are somehow guests in the space rather than DJs that have earned their place there," she said.
"Whereas whenever it comes to a man in the booth, it's just not even a question."
She said women face a different level of scrutiny and unwanted attention simply because they were performing.
Shearer said she was subjected to online abuse earlier this year when a man from Belfast posted about her on Facebook, calling her a poor DJ and claiming that she only received gigs because she was a woman.
She said he also falsely claimed she performed sexual favours to obtain bookings.
"It's just insane to have someone kind of boil all of my hard work that I've done towards this down to who I've slept with," she said.