Katherine Ryan: From Hooters to comedy sensation
First Women Exclusives · February 8, 2016
In a world where funny women are allegedly hard to find, Canadian-born Katherine Ryan has become the queen of the panel show. While attending the First Women Summit 2016, she unveiled her thoughts on the comedy industry.
For as long as anyone can remember, female comedians have been denied the same level of exposure as their male counterparts. Since February 2015, the BBC attempted to address the problem by banning all-male line-ups on panel shows, which Mock the Week presenter Dara Ó Briain argued would only make female comedians now “suddenly look like the token woman”.
But according to Ryan, the gender balance needle only starts to shift towards men when it comes to the professional circuit. She also thinks that expectations about what is considered acceptable subject matter differ depending on the sex of the person making the joke.
To find out more about her journey to comedy sensation, read the full article on Real Business.
