Even in 2023, women on Twitch are still underrepresented and less successful than their male counterparts. Yet, even those who make it to the top often have to overcome numerous hurdles along the way. MyMMO author Lydia takes a closer look at this.
What is the situation? In December 2022, Twitch had 7.03 million active content creators. The most successful among them have millions of followers and reach an average of tens of thousands of viewers.
However, a look at Twitch’s top lists is repeatedly disillusioning, as it shows how much the streaming platform is still dominated by men.
However, there are many women on Twitch who are worth watching. One of them you can see in our interview:
Twitch in Numbers
What do the data look like? Currently, there isn’t a single woman in the top 3, the top 10, or even the top 50 most-watched channels worldwide (via sullygnome).
The most-watched female streamer at the moment is Abril “Ari Gameplays” Garza Alonso. She achieved a watch time of 533,886 hours in the last 7 days. For comparison: That’s roughly 1/7 of the hours watched of number 1, Raúl “Auronplay” Álvarez Genes, who streamed only one hour more.
Overall, there are only 4 women in the top 100: Besides Ari Gameplays, these are Vicky Palami, Amouranth, and Kyedae. At times, Amouranth or the German streamer HoneyPuu were also represented as the only women.
- Ari Gameplays primarily streams Just Chatting, but also showcases Minecraft and GTA V.
- Vicky Palami graces our title image and primarily plays Apex Legends.
- Amouranth is known for hot tubs and ASMR, but she also plays Overwatch 2 and hosts events.
- HoneyPuu plays Valorant and Minecraft as well as current games like Hogwarts Legacy and Sons of the Forest.
What is the situation in the German-speaking area? It’s actually a bit better, as HoneyPuu at least makes it to place 10, closely followed by Reved in 11th place.
Women are Underrepresented
Why is that? The question of why cannot be answered so broadly. However, it is notable that according to data from the site StreamScheme, 65% of Twitch users are male, while only 35% are female – other categories were not recorded (streamscheme.com).
It is quite possible that male viewers identify more with male streamers and female fans more with female streamers. But even then, there should at least be 35 women in the top 100, which is not the case.
Moreover, the audience of Amouranth is likely to be predominantly male.
So is it due to the content of the streams? It cannot be said that male streamers simply produce better content and therefore are more successful. A common accusation is that women do not show “real gaming” and are more likely to be active in other categories.
However, the chatting category “Just Chatting” is by far the most-watched category on Twitch. If only female streamers were active there, they should also be more represented in the leaderboards.
Instead, several of the biggest male streamers, such as KaiCenat, xQc, EliasN97, and MontanaBlack, are often found there (via sullygnome).
Nevertheless, the category might play a role: Many of the particularly popular games on Twitch, such as LoL, CS:GO, Fortnite, and FIFA, have a predominantly male player base. This results in many male streamers and viewers. Conversely, the predominantly male audience on Twitch ensures that these categories remain particularly popular.
Other areas, however, are dominated by women: especially in the Vtube scene, where content creators appear not with a webcam but with an animated avatar, female avatars are more frequently present and successful than male ones (via dexerto).
Even beyond Twitch, women often face difficulties in the gaming industry.
Streamers Have to Overcome Many Hurdles
What is the situation like for women? Difficult. Because women are not only underrepresented on Twitch. Once they manage to assert themselves in the “men’s club”, other hurdles often present themselves.
Because women who appear publicly often face a much higher pressure to conform to traditional beauty standards than their male counterparts: conventionally attractive, well-groomed, and preferably smiling.
If a woman appears without makeup, well-meaning comments can quickly arise, suggesting she might need a break, that she looks a bit ill – or worse: nasty comments such as ‘Who would be into her?’
As a Woman, You Can’t Win on Twitch
What other problems are there? In addition, female streamers are essentially constantly sexualized. Looking at the most popular clips of male streamers, one sees particularly cool, funny, or even embarrassing moments. In contrast, female streamers often have rows of clips showing them getting up, leaning over, or perhaps showing a bit of cleavage.
Additionally, there is an endless loop of sexist comments: there are compliments disguised as insinuations, uncomfortable advances, and derogatory remarks.
It is especially difficult because, as a woman, you cannot actually win. If a female streamer shows skin, she immediately gets comments suggesting she obviously wants to be sexualized. Yet, when the 17-year-old streamer recently shared a picture in which she wore looser clothing, she was immediately accused of looking like a boy (via Twitter).
The YouTuber Gnu recently shared in a video where she discusses the topic: After realizing that many of her outfits and movements were sexualized, she began to wear looser clothing like hoodies. Yet, her face was edited onto naked bodies using editing software.
In her video, she goes further into how far the sexualization of female streamers goes:
Thus, it’s still a long way to go before women on Twitch are not only better represented but can also feel comfortable there without being constantly reduced to their appearance.
The topic is complex, and one could go on endlessly about the situation of women in the gaming industry in general and the developments of recent years. The observations presented here are just a small snapshot of what it means to be a woman on Twitch in 2023.
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