A newly-created USDAM committee is committed to equality and diversity

From the fact that women are still under-represented in leadership positions in professional orchestras, to the gender stereotypes that influence the choice of instruments in childhood, to the inequality of salary income between men and women in the cultural sector, to the advantage of men - there's still a lot for the new commission to do.

Forms of discrimination such as racism, homophobia, ageism, social discrimination or sexism also exist in classical music, as in the rest of society. Enlightening studies (see links at the bottom of the article) reveal that they are regularly found, for example, in the awarding of prizes and scholarships, at orchestral auditions and in higher education. We need to be aware that discrimination takes place all around us on a daily basis, and we need to learn to talk about it, analyze situations and reflect on our own behavior too, in order to break the patterns that arise. But this is often where the difficulty lies: as there is as yet no training on how to defend oneself against discrimination, nor any point of contact to whom concerned musicians can turn, awareness and sensitization to this issue are relatively low on the part of both employers and staff.

Aims of the new commission

The newly-formed Commission for Equality and Diversity aims to tackle concrete problems and raise awareness of the issue of discrimination in Switzerland. It is made up of orchestral musicians and freelancers, all of whom want to work for greater equality and diversity, and against all forms of discrimination in professional life. The commission is reinforced and supported by the USDAM. The focus is on networking at national level, across linguistic and cantonal boundaries, and exchanging views on current issues and proposals to improve the situation in Switzerland over the long term. After the start-up phase, the commission is now in the process of organizing, positioning and discussing different scenarios and ideas. This may result in campaigns on current issues, a contact point for those concerned, or information and training workshops for musicians and institutions.

We are committed to a future in which jobs, grants and funding are awarded without discrimination. We would like to see gender and power relations become more equitable and transparent in our professional lives. Diversity and multiplicity should make the Swiss musical landscape flourish and ensure better representation of society in our professional world.

Would you like to make a contribution and share your ideas and thoughts with us? We'd be delighted to hear from you. jessica.frossard@smv.ch !