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Only 34% of Programming Staff at Dutch Music Venues Are Women
June17
The proportion of men and women working at Dutch music venues continues to vary significantly by department, according to new data published by the Dutch Association of Music Venues and Festivals, Association of Dutch Music Venues and Festivals (VNPF).
An analysis of staffing across VNPF member venues found that in 2025, employees consisted of 56% men, 43% women and just over 1% identifying as another gender.
The data shows notable differences in gender representation across job functions. Women accounted for 34% of staff in programming departments, 29% in management roles, 24% in production and technical positions, and 23% in security roles, indicating a higher proportion of men in those areas.
More balanced gender representation was reported in hospitality, marketing and education departments. Cashier positions were the only category where women formed the majority of employees, representing 59% of staff. The education sector recorded the highest proportion of employees identifying outside the male/female gender categories.
The survey was based on gender information available and registered by participating venues. Employees were categorised as male, female or under a broader category encompassing other gender identities, including non-binary, transgender and intersex individuals.
According to VNPF, 52% of participating venues based gender records on identity documents, while 48% relied on employee self-identification. The organisation noted that representation of people identifying outside the male/female categories may be understated, as such identities are not always reflected in official documents and may not always be disclosed in the workplace.
The analysis also highlighted how working hours are distributed across venue operations. In 2025, hospitality accounted for 29% of all hours worked, followed by production and technical roles at 25%. Programming and marketing represented 17% of total working hours, while management accounted for 3%. The remaining 26% covered areas including education, cloakroom services, ticketing, security and cleaning.
VNPF said the findings are intended to provide an overview of gender balance across the Dutch live music venue sector, while recognising the methodological limitations of the data.
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