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Women have been prominent in show business since long before the advent of the feminist movement. However, today—in contrast to all other areas of show business—women are still in the minority in stand-up comedy. Why is comedy male dominated? To answer this question, this study investigated the personality traits of women in comedy, their family backgrounds, and their psychosexual dynamics. The study examines the roles of women in stand-up comedy and compares the differences and similarities to male comedians.
The number of women in all other areas of show business is at least equal to, or exceeds the number of men. However, among full-time professional stand-up comics, the percentage of women is now only 12%. Five years ago it was 8%. The number of women in comedy has increased minimally. By examining the personality traits, backgrounds, and dynamics, this study shows that it is not by choice or accident that so few women succeed in this area of entertainment. The study examines to what extent sex roles define women's place in stand-up comedy and what effect the feminist movement has had on the stereotypes of comediennes.
Fourteen full-time comediennes were studied and compared with 48 male comics, reported on in a previous paper. In order to qualify for this study, the comediennes had to be full-time stand-up professionals in comedy. Most of the subjects earned six-figure incomes and were nationally known in concerts, night clubs, and on television. The time spent in comedy ranged from 5 to 31 years, averaging 14 years. The majority of women studied were raised in large metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada. The subjects represented all major religious and socioeconomic groups. Subjects were interviewed in New York, California, and Las Vegas. All subjects volunteered without any remuneration and were personally interviewed by the authors.
The data was obtained from in-depth clinical interviews with each subject. Each interview lasted three hours. The Wec