Dolly Parton is a well-known force in the music industry and, in general, the world. She is a nine-time grammy winner, while also having written over three thousand songs for various film and television projects. On top of her musical success, she has also had many philanthropic efforts, which include supporting child literacy programs and funding a COVID-19 vaccine. As you can tell by the previously stated information, Parton is an inspirational figure to all.
One of Parton’s most well-known songs is “9 to 5.” Parton wrote the song for a movie with the same title that dealt with an American 9 to 5 workday. The song won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and for Best Country Song, both at the 1982 Grammys. It has been streamed more than 3.5 million times on Spotify alone.
“9 to 5” exposes gender inequality in the workplace, written and released as women’s participation in the workforce started to increase. It is a fun-sounding, upbeat song, which is the only way that it could reach a mass audience. Some of the most notable lyrics are:
They just use your mind and they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it
As obvious by these lyrics, it was (sadly) normal for women to feel like they were putting in work but never being fully recognized or thanked for their important contributions to their workplaces. “It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it” is more support for the strength that women had to find to keep working when they were not being valued. More notable lyrics are:
Well you got dreams and you know they matter
Be your own boss, climb your own ladder
These lyrics touch on how women have to empower themselves to succeed in the workplace, because no one else (meaning most men) are there to support them. Women have to work hard to create a path for themselves and to make sure that they are respected in the workplace.
While “9 to 5” did not start any major movement, it definitely pushed the issue of workplace inequality forward. Even though the song was written in 1980, women still face inequalities in the workplace today. One key example of this is how women, in the United States overall, earn around 83 cents to every dollar that a man earns. Women are constantly having to work in environments where they face sexist remarks and actions every day, even when they put in the same (or more) amount of work than a man
While learning about the meaning of “9 to 5,” I began to see connections between the meaning and readings that we have discussed in class. The reading that came most to my mind, even though it was written in 1963, was The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan. In this reading, Friedan explains how women were told over and over how their role was to “seek fulfillment as wives and mothers” (Friedan 271). They were taught how to care for children and keep a nice home, but never how to succeed in the workplace. All of their success was based on their children and the state of their home. Many women described themselves as feeling “incomplete.” (Friedan 273). The constant pressure on women to be an “ideal” housewife can help explain why women are never truly valued in a workplace. As evidenced by Friedan, society views a woman’s place to be the home, not a workplace, so when women do enter the workplace, they are not properly valued for the effort they put in because society thinks they are unable to succeed outside of the home.
While “9 to 5,” is an anthem for most working women, it does fall short in terms of inclusion. The song is not gender-inclusive, meaning that it accounts for the feelings of (mainly white) cis-women, but not the feelings of transwomen. Parton did not mean any harm by not making the song being fully inclusive; it was just written during a different time period. It also does not include any mention of intersectionality, which can help account for the feelings of groups like black women.
Even though “9 to 5” does fall somewhat short of including the feelings of all people who identify as women, it is still an inspiring anthem for them as they constantly face inequality in the workplace.
Sources:
https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/economic-justice/fair-pay/americas-women-and-the-wage-gap.pdf
https://americansongwriter.com/9-to-5-by-dolly-parton-behind-the-song/#:~:text=%E2%80%9C9%20to%205%E2%80%9D%20became%20an,complaint%20and%20immense%20good%20cheer.
https://genius.com/Dolly-parton-9-to-5-lyrics
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. Norton, 1963.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-29/dolly-parton-in-9-6/11649932?nw=0
I was recently reading an article about the movie 9 to 5, which made this analysis even more interesting to read. The movie starred Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin who I think are all inspiring female figures today. Their passion for workplace equality was seen through this movie and even more so in the song 9 to 5. I think that the lyrics you highlighted capture the message best. When I first heard it, I didn’t pay much attention to what Parton was singing about and simply thought it was catchy. As you mention, the song’s fun melody is likely how it amassed such fame and could spread such a powerful message. I think that shows a strategic move on Parton’s part.
I love Dolly so much and love that you chose this song! She was so ahead of her time when it came to feminism and has been a feminist icon for decades! I find her especially influential when it comes to breaking stereotypes surrounding southern women in particular having little interest in progressive views of gender equality. She’s also done so much more than write songs to bring awareness to many social issues, one of which being children’s literacy and access to education.
This was such a good point about breaking stereotypes surrounding southern women & their views on gender equality! I grew up in South Carolina, and believed this stereotype myself for a while, after having heard various comments over the years from women in the south discuss their duty to submit to their husbands (though these conversations primarily occured in religious settings). That’s why when I first saw Dolly Parton’s name in this article I was initially surprised by her relevance to anything feminist, despite not having any real familiarity with her music, other than the knowledge that she is a country music singer. This definitely shed some light on my own biases surrounding southern women!
I have heard this song so many times and I actually had no idea it was a song for female empowerment and addressing inequalities in the workspace. I think this is maybe because it is so upbeat and catchy, I wouldn’t assume it would be about a serious topic. Though like you said, songs need to have these qualities to become popular and it is a clever way to have this important message reach more people.
I have watched the movie that this song came from many times and now that I am reflecting on it, it was very white. I wonder who the audience for this song was since it was written in 1980. I doubt the work empowerment was targeted at Black women or women of color. That being said, I do love how she exposes the injustices in work environments. It reminds me of pregnancy discrimination that we learned about recently and all the limitations women face in work environments.
Great analysis! This is one of my family’s and I’s favorite songs and I guess I had never thought about critically in this manner. It is true that women often have put in more work than men to gain recognition in the workplace. The most basic example of this is the wage gap, as you mentioned. Another common practice is when a man repeats something a woman said, and gets the credit and recognition for the idea. If you are interested in reading more about this, I recommend reading “She Proclaims” by Jennifer Palmieri. It is about the challenges she faced in the workplace as a women trying to make name for herself in Washington DC. Overall, I loved reading your examination of “9 To 5,” and I’ll definitely think about it differently the next time I listen to it.