Gender of UK morris dancers
A significant trend that has been evident since the beginning of the Morris Census in 2014 is the trend towards greater female participation in morris.
In 2023, for the first time in history, there are more women morris dancers in the UK than men.
The proportion of female members of morris sides in the UK has risen from 46 per cent in 2014 to 49.6 per cent in 2020, and to 50.6 per cent in 2023.
At the same time the proportion of male members of morris sides in the UK has fallen from 54 per cent in 2014 to 49.9 per cent in 2020, and to 48.6 per cent in 2023.
The Morris Census survey questions about the gender of side members were tweaked in 2020 to include the number of ‘non-binary / other’ members, in addition to male and female. An estimated 0.8 per cent of UK sides’ members were reported in this category in 2023, up from 0.5 per cent in 2020.
In 2023, for the first time in history, there are more women morris dancers in the UK than men.
The proportion of female members of morris sides in the UK has risen from 46 per cent in 2014 to 49.6 per cent in 2020, and to 50.6 per cent in 2023.
At the same time the proportion of male members of morris sides in the UK has fallen from 54 per cent in 2014 to 49.9 per cent in 2020, and to 48.6 per cent in 2023.
The Morris Census survey questions about the gender of side members were tweaked in 2020 to include the number of ‘non-binary / other’ members, in addition to male and female. An estimated 0.8 per cent of UK sides’ members were reported in this category in 2023, up from 0.5 per cent in 2020.
|
|
The chart below shows that the gender balance of members varies considerably by morris organisation and style. The gender balance is majority male in the Morris Ring and in Mumming, Longsword and Cotswold. In contrast, Garland, Appalachian, Clog step, North West, Molly and Border sides are majority female.
|
|
The proportion of side members who are male is 81 per cent among sides in the Morris Ring, compared to 40 per cent among sides in the Morris Federation and 38 per cent among Open Morris sides. However, the proportion of side members who are male among sides in the Morris Ring has fallen from 97 per cent in 2014 to 88 per cent in 2020, and to 81 per cent in 2023.
This comes after a number of substantial changes to the Morris Ring constitution concerning the gender of side membership. The Morris Ring constitution was amended in 2011 to allow member sides to have female musicians and again in 2018 when all references to gender were removed.
The chart below shows that this constitutional change has prompted a large number of sides in the Morris Ring to change their side’s rules on the gender of members. The proportion of sides with all-male dancers in the Morris Ring has fallen from 96 per cent in 2017 to 59 per cent in 2023. The proportion of Morris Ring sides with all-male musicians has also fallen between 2014 and 2023, from 60 per cent to 40 per cent. Overall, 42 per cent of Morris Ring sides have made some form of change to their rules on the gender of members.
|
|
More generally, 20 per cent of current UK sides report having, at some point, changed their rules on the gender of either dancers, musicians or both, including 15 per cent of sides in the Morris Federation and 16 per cent of Open Morris sides. Around a third (35 per cent) of those sides who have made a change reported doing so in the past three years and more than half (58 per cent) reported doing so in the past five years.
Sides who had made a change to their rules on the gender of members were asked the reasons why they made the most recent change. The chart below shows that the main reason, cited by 71 per cent of sides that had made a change as a major reason and 14 per cent as a minor reason, was to increase recruitment. Around a third of sides (36 per cent) said that a major reason for making the change was to promote equality, and 15 per cent cited this as a minor reason. A fifth (21 per cent) said that a major reason for making a change was in response to someone’s request to join.
|
|
The trend towards more female morris dancers and fewer male looks set to continue, as nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of sides’ new recruits are female. New recruits are also becoming more female, as the proportion has risen from 57 per cent in 2014 to 64 per cent in 2023. Underlining the big changes within sides in the Morris Ring, the proportion of new recruits who are female has risen from 4 per cent in 2014 to 41 per cent in 2023.
