Women in Dutch punk, 1976-1982. Many women, few writings

This is the abstract of a paper, to be read at the Punk Scholars Network Netherlands conference, 18 June 2022 in Amsterdam.

WOMEN IN DUTCH PUNK, 1976-1982. FIGURES AND FORGETFULNESS.

So many women, why so few writings?

Authors: Anita Raghunath and Herman de Tollenaere

Abstract

In the United Kingdom in recent years, there have been films and scholarly writings on women in early British punk. The Dutch situation is different. There is no book on the women in early punk, 1976-1982, in the Netherlands. Only 20 pages by Pauwke Bergers, based on interviewing 18 women, were published. There is no book on early punk in general in the Netherlands paying much attention to the women in it.

Reading literature about the history of Dutch punk in 1976-1982, it seems there were hardly any women in punk then. Goossens and Vedder’s Het Gejuich Was Massaal (1996), written by a journalist and a record shop owner, is the only book, especially about the 1976-1982 period in the Netherlands. They interviewed 29 men and one woman (3%).

Were there really so few female Dutch punk musicians? Our research shows there were at least 196. Why is that not reflected in recent writings? Was there marginalisation of women in early Dutch punk fanzines? Or are there other causes? How applicable to the Dutch situation is UK literature on marginalisation of women in punk, by authors like Helen Reddington, Anita Raghunath and Kirsty Lohman?