Stand-up Comedy, Gender Inequality and Sexual Violence

Stand-up comedy as a form is inextricably connected to gender inequality, both in terms of the material delivered on stage, and the industrial practices that occur once the mic is dropped and the spotlights are switched off. As such this chapter will consider the inclusion of misogynist and sexually violent material in stand-up comedy, and the problematic and exclusionary industrial conditions of live comedy circuits, in regard to recent international disclosures of sexual violence occurring in these contexts.

Whilst overt sexism may, in the majority of social contexts, provoke censure, gender inequity continues in contemporary comic material, especially that found in the live environment outside of media regulation, as it reflects and replicates discourses of popular misogyny, transphobia, and the rise of the manosphere. To challenge these violent and sexist narratives, some comics, including those who are survivors of sexual assault themselves, have used routines to confront misogyny, promote various kinds of feminism, and critique the continued use of rape jokes.