TOMSETT, Eleanor Louise (2019). Reflections on UK Comedy’s Glass Ceiling: Stand-Up Comedy and Contemporary Feminisms. Doctoral, Sheffield Hallam University. [Thesis]
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Abstract
This thesis considers the ways in which the current UK stand-up comedy industry both
accommodates and simultaneously marginalises female voices. This research concerns
itself with three key areas of enquiry:
Firstly, I examine how the development of stand-up comedy, alongside gender
stereotypes, has resulted in additional barriers to women’s participation in live comedy,
and how these barriers are maintained in a digital era. Stand-up comedy as an art form
has emerged from, and been developed within, male dominated spaces. This has
impacted upon the style and content of the comedy produced in the live arena, as well
as broadcast comedy. This research considers how the origins of stand-up comedy still
impact on current live comedy production and how this is intrinsically linked to wider
societal stereotypes about the capabilities of women.
Secondly, I consider the work being undertaken in the current context to address the
continuing gender inequality on the UK circuit, and what these initiatives mean to
performers and audiences. My original contribution to knowledge is to synthesise the
results of immersive research with the UK Women in Comedy Festival in Manchester,
which investigated practical initiatives seeking to make the industry more inclusive to
women, with the results of qualitative and mixed-methods research into the
perspectives of performers, promoters and audiences on the importance of these
initiatives. As a result I offer both an overview of the current scene and suggestions for
the future.
Lastly, I analyse examples of stand-up comedy performed by women in the current
context and how these performances relate to conceptions of feminist and postfeminist
humour, as well as notions of backlash against contemporary feminisms. This research
focuses on live comedy that is explicitly feminist in its presentation and content to
consider how social attitudes to women, the increasing visibility of female labour
outside the home, and the emergence of multiple (occasionally contradictory)
feminisms has influenced the comedy produced by female comedians in 21st century
Britain.
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