Is the UK Music Scene Failing Female DJs?

Female DJs across the UK are being forced to work “four or five times harder” than their male counterparts just to receive the same level of recognition, according to London-based DJ and producer Rebekah Abdeen. Rebekah says the dance music industry is facing a deepening crisis around sexism, safeguarding, and accountability.

Rebekah, a Newcastle-born artist who has worked in venues across London and internationally in cities like Zurich, has spoken candidly about her experiences in club culture. She described an industry where women are routinely sidelined on line-ups, denied equal treatment backstage, and left feeling unsafe in venues that are supposed to champion freedom and community.

“Women are constantly shoved on the opening or the closing,” she told Lab.Club. “It seems like a small detail, but it constantly sidelines female artists. It sets the tone that we’re second class – that we’re not quite good enough.”

Rebekah, who recently returned to London after several years of living in Switzerland, has spent the past year building her own curation brand and club nights in response to what she sees as an increasingly exclusionary UK scene.

“If you’re a multi-genre DJ, or experimental, or someone who doesn’t conform to the circus, your face doesn’t really fit on a lot of parties and line-ups,” she explained. “That’s why I started my own curation brand – so I could actually design the night in the type of space I want to exist in.”

Last year, DJ Paulette, one of only two women to have had a monthly residency at Manchester's legendary club, The Hacienda, told Sky News that as a female DJ, you get “trolled for everything”.

“You get trolled for the way you look, if you’ve put on weight, and if you’ve lost weight,” she said. It’s clear that this should not be the focus when the music should be, and especially if this kind of scrutiny is – arguably – not so apparent for a male DJ.  

While Rebekah believes smaller cities such as Bristol, Manchester, and Newcastle still retain stronger senses of community within underground music spaces, she says that London has become particularly difficult, especially for female artists trying to break through outside commercial trends.

Alongside concerns around representation, Rebekah pointed to what she described as widespread failures in safeguarding across nightlife culture. She spoke about women being left without green rooms, secure transport home, or adequate support from venues and promoters, as well as a broader atmosphere that increasingly feels hostile to women both on stage and on the dancefloor.

“There’s such a lack of safeguarding around women in the club scene – not just artists, but women on the dance floor too,” she said. “You get so used to it as a woman. You’re just kind of like: what shitshow am I going to have to deal with tonight?”

She also described feeling increasingly frustrated by what she sees as normalised behaviour within club environments, saying many women have simply learned to expect uncomfortable or unsafe situations as part of nightlife culture.

“It’s more surprising when something doesn’t happen than when it does,” she added.

Rebekah also criticised what she sees as an absence of accountability structures within dance music, arguing that venues, management teams, and promoters are often more concerned with protecting reputations and revenue than addressing harmful behaviour.

DJ and broadcaster Katie Owen told the BBC last December that she’d had men grab her and “force [her] to kiss them”, as well as follow her home.

“People feel like they’re not accountable to anyone right now,” Rebekah told me. “They can get away with whatever they want.”

Her comments come amid growing scrutiny across parts of the electronic music world surrounding allegations of misconduct, abuse, and unsafe environments within nightlife spaces. While Rebekah declined to comment on specific ongoing controversies, she said the current moment should act as a wake-up call for the wider industry.

“There needs to be proper structures of accountability and responsibility,” she said. “We need better representation, safer environments and more women in positions of power – not just on line-ups, but throughout the whole industry.”

Despite the difficulties she described, Rebekah says she no longer feels willing to stay silent about the realities many women experience in dance music culture. Something needs to change, and as with every movement, it all starts with a few voices. 

“I’m done being the quiet woman who doesn’t want to upset anyone or jeopardise her opportunities,” she said. “I’m coming out swinging, because I’ve had enough.”

However, she also stressed that she is just one voice amongst countless others who are already doing great work to force change, but that many more are needed to create the kind of change needed in this industry. The work has indeed already started – but there is still a long way to go. 

Sasha is a multimedia journalist with nearly seven years of experience writing on topics including music, lifestyle, and tech. She's an avid listener of Riordan, Laurent Wolf, and Ninajirachi.