Björk once said that producing music is an art form similar to embroidery in its delicate femininity, and certainly the music industry would not be what it is today without the perspective of the women who help shape it, on the stage and behind the scenes.
For International Women’s Day, we are celebrating women from all kinds of different backgrounds, who continually influence change in the work they do, including the women at Cosmic Ears who help to make sure every order is perfect! We're also talking about Phyllis Margaret Tookey Kerridge...
Listening is where every breakthrough in hearing begins.
The science of hearing, what we now call audiology, is a relatively young field. Yet long before it became a recognised profession, pioneering researchers were already transforming how we understand sound and the human ear.
Among them was Phyllis Margaret Tookey Kerridge, whose work in the 1930s helped establish scientific methods for measuring hearing. Around the same period, Edith Whetnall challenged long-held assumptions about deafness and developed new approaches to treatment and education for children with hearing loss.
Their work helped lay the foundations for modern audiology, at a time when women were still fighting for a place in scientific and medical fields.
Today, hearing health remains a global issue. The World Health Organization estimates that over 1.5 billion people worldwide live with some level of hearing loss, highlighting the importance of continued innovation in both hearing protection and sound technology.
The research that shaped audiology also paved the way for a different kind of breakthrough: precision sound delivered directly to the ear.
As acoustic science evolved through the late 20th century, engineers began developing in-ear monitors (IEMs), technology originally created to help musicians hear clearly on stage while protecting their hearing from extreme sound levels. What began as a practical solution for performers quickly evolved into a sophisticated field combining acoustic engineering, medical insight, and custom ear design.
In many ways, modern in-ear monitors are the natural descendant of hearing science. Both rely on a deep understanding of the ear’s anatomy and the delicate relationship between sound, comfort, and clarity.
At Cosmic Ears, that connection between hearing science and sound design is central to everything we do. Creating in-ear monitors means respecting the complexity of the ear while delivering sound that feels natural, precise, and personal.
This International Women’s Day, not only do we recognise the women working behind the scenes here at Cosmic Ears, but the ones who's research, curiosity, and determination helped shape the foundations of hearing science, and the future of how we listen.
Because progress in sound, like progress in society, begins with listening.
