Director of Paris Conservatory declares conducting too demanding for women

Photo: Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra is one of the world's top conductors
 
The head of the Paris Conservatory, Bruno Mantovani, has caused controversy by saying that conducting is too demanding for women.

The comments were made in an interview with the radio station France Musique during a programme discussing the lack of top female conductors.

He said: ‘The profession of a conductor is a profession that is particularly physically testing, sometimes women are discouraged by the very physical aspect – conducting, taking a plane, taking another plane, conducting again. It is quite challenging.’
Mantovani went on to discuss ‘the problem of maternity’.
‘A woman who wants to have children will have a hard time having a career as a conductor, which can mean changing tack abruptly overnight for several months… Raising a child at a distance isn’t easy.’  More