Women’s Empowerment in English Songs

Abstract

The qualitative and comparative research analyzes the lyrics of 30 popular English songs by female artists released between 2010 and 2023. The three objectives are 1) to explore the English used in the songs, 2) to examine the rhetorical message of women’s empowerment in the lyrics, and 3) to investigate the social context and perspectives of the lyrics, focusing on contemporary social views and issues that affect and involve women, particularly in terms of power relations, ideologies, and more. The investigation relies on language and discourse analysis, with an emphasis on symbolism and metaphors. A feminist lens is an approach employed to reveal the thematical feminist expressions, highlighting female power and voice within the context of ‘women’s empowerment,’ especially in the face of today’s gender inequality. As a result, the songs reflect modern English usage, and English grammatical elements relevant to the contemporary world. The prevalent empowering techniques include narratives of positive transformation and occasional use of sarcasm and dark humor. Importantly, the songs are embedded with explicit and implicit meanings, centered around the rhetorical theme of ‘women’s empowerment’—a theme arguably shaped by the current global feminist movement. The women’s empowerment can be understood through the proposed categories with themes and sub-themes showcasing the complexity and diversity of female-empowering messages. From a more sophisticated perspective, these notable characteristics suggest that the music can be viewed as ‘feminist resistance’ to patriarchy and gender inequality while addressing broader social issues that women face, such as political challenges, mental health, sexual violence, and the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings provide valuable insights from the selected set of songs, emphasizing women’s power, the connection between music and social reality, and the profound social and cultural significance of music.