Women's Podcast Listenership Triples in Ten Years

Female monthly podcast listenership has tripled over the past decade, growing from 15% in 2015 to 45% in 2025, according to the Women’s Audio Report: Women & Podcasts released by Edison Research and SiriusXM Media. This report is the first installment of a two-part webinar series exploring the relationship between women and audio consumption. When factoring in video podcast viewership, estimates climb even higher, with the study revealing that 52% of women age 18+ now consume podcasts in some form.

Presented by Megan Lazovick, Edison Research Vice President, alongside Melissa Paris, Vice President of Sales Research at SiriusXM Media, the research highlights the remarkable growth story of women in podcasting and provides insights into how women engage with podcast content.

Key Findings from the Women’s Audio Report:

• Podcast Consumption Among Women Shows Explosive Growth
• Female monthly podcast listenership has tripled from 15% in 2015 to 45% in 2025, translating to an estimated 60 million U.S. women.
• When combining both audio and video podcast consumption, 52% of women age 18+ have consumed podcasts monthly in some form.
• Female podcast consumers skew younger (39% between ages 18-34), have higher incomes (29% with household incomes over $100K), and higher education levels (51% with college degrees).

Women Engage Meaningfully with Podcast Content

• Primary motivations among women monthly podcast consumers include exploring topics in depth (53%), learning (46%), and entertainment (44%).
• 79% consider having a host they enjoy important, and 72% value podcasts that are relatable.
• U.S. women monthly podcast consumers average over 1 hour and 40 minutes of podcast content daily.

Female Podcast Listeners Show High Commercial Engagement and Seek Authentic Representation

• 64% of monthly women podcast consumers have turned to podcasts to navigate life challenges, with 44% using them for mental health support.
• Among the women monthly consumers who have heard an ad on a podcast, 75% have acted as a result of hearing an ad.
• 45% of women monthly consumers are more likely to consider brands that support women-hosted or produced podcasts.
• Nearly half (48%) of the top 25 shows among women weekly listeners have female hosts or co-hosts -- this compares to just 40% among all weekly listeners.

“Female monthly podcast listenership has tripled in ten years – that’s worth repeating,” said Melissa Paris, Vice President of Sales Research at SiriusXM Media. “But what’s also important is the growing role of video in podcast consumption, with 33% of women now watching podcasts. When we look at total monthly podcast consumption across audio and video formats, we’re reaching 52% of all women.”

“As women-led content continues to thrive in the market, investing in authentic female voices that resonate with women’s experiences isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s smart business,” said Lazovick. “Women’s voices deserve to be heard and supported as the powerful market force they truly are.”

The Women’s Audio Report was based on 2,520 interviews with women age 18+ who had listened to audio in the last month. The data was weighted to match age, ethnicity, and census region of the U.S. female population. The study also incorporated statistics from Edison Research’s Infinite Dial series, Share of Ear daily diary listening study, and Edison Podcast Metrics.

“We’re excited to continue this exploration of women’s audio habits with our upcoming report on women and music,” added Paris. “Together, these two reports provide unprecedented insights into how women engage with audio content across different formats.”

The second installment of the Women’s Audio Report series, Women’s Audio Report: Women & Music, will be presented on Tuesday, April 29, at 2 PM ET.