What are the barriers to women's participation in live comedy, and how are these barriers maintained in the digital era?In this book, Ellie Tomsett considers how the origins of stand-up comedy still impact on current live comedy production, and explains how the contemporary stand-up scene continues to reflect wider societal stereotypes about the capabilities of women.Using primary data collected from women-only comedy nights and immersive research with the UK Women in Comedy Festival in Manchester, Tomsett analyses examples of stand-up performed by contemporary comedians - including Bridget Christie, Luisa Omielan, Lolly Adefope and Gráinne Maguire - and provocatively questions how these performances relate to conceptions of feminist and postfeminist humour, as well as notions of backlash against contemporary feminisms. She focuses on live comedy that is explicitly feminist to consider how social attitudes to women, the increasing visibility of female labour outside the home, and the emergence of multiple (and sometimes contradictory) feminisms has influenced the comedy produced by women comedians in 21st century Britain.

Utilizes primary data collected from audiences at women-only comedy nights and developed through research with the UK Women in Comedy Festival

Introduction: Welcome to the stage1. How did we get here? The gendered evolution of the UK comedy circuit2. Where are we now? Challenges today for women comics3. Women-only comedy spaces: Addressing inequality on the UK comedy circuit4. Online to IRL: The impact of social media on stand-up comedy by women5. Bodies on stage: Feminisms on the comedy circuit post-20136. An (un)equal and opposite reaction: The backlash and barriers facing feminist comedy7. Comedy too8. Conclusion: Reflections on UK comedy's glass ceilingNotesReferencesIndex