Sarah Tout has been broadcasting on RTRFM 92.1 since 2005. She hosted the new music show Out to Lunch until March 2013 and still presents the women in music program Drastic on Plastic while sharing her passion and skills in community radio as a broadcasting trainer. Sarah is also a musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter performing solo and in the dream pop band Simone and Girlfunkle.
What does feminism mean to you? 'Feminism' has become a loaded term. Many women I know are reluctant to identify with it as they associate 'feminists' with a caricature fundamental, radical, man-hating, bra-burning, head-shaven person who complains angrily all the time.
(You can shave or don't shave whatever you like, burn your bra if you want. But maybe don't hate anybody.)
I define feminism more broadly: If you believe that women, that girls, ought to have the same rights to education, health care, and equal pay (for example) as men, then you are a feminist. These rights do need advocacy; sadly there are many women and girls in the world for whom such rights do not exist.
When was the first time you remember identifying yourself as a feminist? I remember announcing precociously to my rather stunned parents "I'm a feminist!" when I was about 10. I thought it meant you believed girls were just as good as boys. And in that definition I wasn't too far off.
What do you think the biggest obstacle facing women today is? There are many issues women face world over, and it would be unhelpful to attempt to categorically rank any one as more serious or pressing than any other.
The issues that I see in my community, and which concern me, are to do with career and a lack of women represented among leadership roles. Role-modelling is crucial to girls' self esteem and their interest in pursuing careers as anything from CEOs to rock stars. We need more women stepping in to leadership roles, and other jobs that are overwhelmingly male occupations, while creating a culture that will support and sustain this.
In broadcasting a show that highlights the contributions of women to the contemporary music world, I hope it reminds or inspires women to make music if they want to.
The theme of IWD in 2014 is Inspiring Change - tell us about one woman you think has inspired change in the world. I think performers like Joanna Newsom and Scout Niblett challenge preconceived notions of what a woman's voice should sound like, they show us that there is beauty in a more experimental sound too and I think they've probably inspired a lot of women to make music who don't necessarily fit the mould.
