The Forgotten Voices of Punk: How Working-Class Women Shaped the Movement

Rewriting Punk’s History

Punk is often remembered through figures like Johnny Rotten, The Clash, and Malcolm McLaren-but what about the working-class women who were just as instrumental? While the movement positioned itself as a rebellion against the establishment, mainstream narratives have frequently erased or sidelined the working-class women who not only participated in punk but defined it.

Punk’s DIY, anti-establishment roots were deeply influenced by women who used the genre to challenge both class and gender oppression. As sociologist Angela McRobbie (2009) notes, subcultures are often male-dominated spaces, with women confined to roles of spectatorship or sidelined as ‘muses’. However, this is a misrepresentation of punk’s reality. Many working-class women were at the heart of the movement, not only performing but also shaping its political ethos and aesthetic. This piece aims to reclaim their place in history by highlighting their contributions and the challenges they faced within the scene.

The Sound of Rebellion: Women Who Defined Punk

Poly Styrene (X-Ray Spex)

One of punk’s most groundbreaking figures, Poly Styrene was a working-class woman of Somali and British descent who shattered punk’s white male-dominated image. Unlike her male counterparts, she rejected the aggressive hypermasculinity that defined much of the early punk scene. With her braces, brightly coloured clothes, and refusal to conform to conventional standards of femininity, she carved out a space for women who did not fit the traditional mould.

Her band, X-Ray Spex, became legendary for their biting social commentary and chaotic energy. Tracks like Oh Bondage! Up Yours! served as feminist and anti-consumerist anthems, explicitly calling out the suffocating expectations placed on women. Styrene’s lyrics critiqued capitalism and patriarchy with a sharpness that was rare even within the punk scene. As music historian Lucy O’Brien (1995) notes, her refusal to be objectified or commercialised set her apart, yet this also meant she was often overlooked in the mainstream retellings of punk’s history.

Styrene's influence also extended to her approach to music itself. Unlike the polished aesthetics of rock and pop, she embraced a raw, unfiltered vocal style that emphasised authenticity over technical perfection. This DIY ethos resonated deeply with working-class youth who saw punk as an accessible form of expression rather than an elite musical craft.

Gaye Advert (The Adverts)

As one of the first prominent female bassists in punk, Gaye Advert proved that women weren’t just groupies or singers-they were musicians in their own right. Her dark kohl-lined eyes and leather-heavy aesthetic made her an instant punk icon, but it was her raw, unpolished playing style that cemented her legacy. At a time when female musicians were often dismissed or belittled, Gaye Advert’s presence on stage directly challenged gendered expectations about musical ability.

The Adverts’ track Gary Gilmore’s Eyes became a cult classic, reflecting the band’s knack for fusing social commentary with a gritty, unfiltered sound. Despite her status as a trailblazer, Gaye Advert’s contributions have often been downplayed in discussions of punk history, reflecting a broader tendency to erase women’s impact on music scenes that are later rebranded as male-driven movements.

Advert’s role also highlights the broader significance of female instrumentalists in punk. Unlike rock and roll, where women were often limited to vocals, punk’s ethos of breaking barriers allowed women to take up guitars, bass, and drums. Despite this, their contributions were often dismissed as amateurish, reinforcing gendered stereotypes about musical competence.

Vi Subversa (Poison Girls)

Vi Subversa was an anomaly in punk-not only because she was a woman but also because she started her musical career in her forties, proving that punk was not just a youth movement. As the frontwoman of anarcho-punk band Poison Girls, she used her music to challenge societal norms around gender, sexuality, and power structures. Her lyrics addressed issues ranging from domestic violence to capitalist exploitation, making Poison Girls one of the most overtly political bands of the era.

Songs like Bully Boys and Real Woman dissected the ways in which patriarchy and capitalism intertwined, making Poison Girls a crucial voice in both punk and feminist movements. Subversa’s influence extended beyond music; she was actively involved in grassroots activism, using the band’s platform to support feminist and LGBTQ+ causes.

Her involvement in the punk squatting movement also highlighted a critical aspect of punk’s working-class origins. With affordable housing being a pressing issue for working-class youth, squats became a hub for creative expression, mutual aid, and resistance against state neglect.

Eve Libertine & Joy De Vivre (Crass)

As core members of anarcho-punk collective Crass, Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre were instrumental in pushing punk beyond mere rebellion and into a full-fledged political movement. Their spoken-word performances and collaborations with the band critiqued war, consumerism, and patriarchal violence, shaping punk’s political consciousness. Crass’s DIY ethic-self-releasing albums, producing zines, and creating their own gig spaces-was deeply rooted in working-class survival strategies.

Libertine’s performances on Shaved Women and Mother Earth were particularly powerful, laying bare the realities of gendered oppression. Crass’s music and manifestos explicitly positioned punk as a vehicle for radical leftist politics, reinforcing the idea that working-class women were not just present in punk but at its very core.

The Lasting Impact & Erasure of Women in Punk

Despite their undeniable contributions, many female punk pioneers have been written out of mainstream punk history. The Riot Grrrl movement of the 1990s owed much to these working-class punk women but is often framed as a separate, entirely new feminist punk wave. In reality, working-class women in punk laid the groundwork for later feminist movements in music, even as they were overlooked in official narratives. Bands like The Raincoats and The Slits, both of whom emerged from the raw, DIY ethos of the late 1970s punk scene, directly challenged gender norms in music. Their refusal to conform to traditional femininity, both in their sound and aesthetic, paved the way for the Riot Grrrl movement in the 1990s. Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, for example, has cited The Raincoats as a major influence, yet mainstream punk histories often fail to acknowledge these earlier pioneers as part of the feminist lineage of punk.

Today, working-class women in music still face barriers, from industry gatekeeping to financial struggles. While punk provided a space to challenge oppression, it also reflected broader societal inequalities that persist to this day. The erasure of these women from history is not just an oversight, it is part of a pattern where working-class contributions to culture are ignored or rewritten by those with the privilege to shape the narrative.

Punk was never just about men or middle-class rebels-it was shaped by working-class women fighting on multiple fronts. Their music, politics, and DIY ethos left an indelible mark on punk, even if mainstream history has attempted to erase them. Rewriting punk’s history means celebrating their voices and ensuring their impact isn’t forgotten. If punk truly stands for rebellion, then it’s time to rebel against the erasure of the working-class women who built it. Moreover, recognising these forgotten voices isn’t just about the past-it has implications for the present. Women in contemporary punk, post-punk, and alternative music continue to navigate the same class and gender barriers. By acknowledging history accurately, we ensure that the next generation of working-class women in music can claim their rightful space without having to fight the same battles over and over again.