Dolly Parton says 'it's a new day and age' for women in the music industry

Dolly Parton discussed women's empowerment and the strides female country singers have made in the music industry on "The View" Friday.

The country music icon helped pay tribute to some of the most-loved female artists in country music at the 2019 Country Music Association Awards (CMAs). The awards show featured female country stars from every generation, including Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire.

Parton said that highlighting female artists at the CMAs was "helpful" for furthering female vocalists' mark in the industry.

"We have always had more men than women in country music, but I really think that it's really coming along now," she said on "The View" Friday. "There’s a lot of talented women out there and we should all get a chance to do what we do."

Debuting her first album, "Hello, I'm Dolly," in 1967, Parton said that knowing how men function in the workplace was useful for her when she got her start in music.

"I grew up in a family of six brothers and my dad and uncle, so I love men and I understood men. So, I had it a little easier than some of the girls that don't know how to maneuver and work in a man's world," she said. "I would just walk in and say, 'I think I got something I can make us a bunch of money with, so if you want to help me out.'"

"I really think it's wonderful that we're getting a chance to show what we can do and that we’re being accepted, and we'll keep promoting and try[ing] to get them to play more of our songs and all of that," Parton continued. "I have been at it a long time, and it's a new day and age."

"I'm a woman and proud of it. I really feel like I have plenty to offer, and I'm very supportive of women. I love men, you know, don't get me wrong. I’ve always had one of my own," Parton said. "But I really think there's some great men in this world and there's some great women, and I think we all should be able to express ourselves however we do."

Parton's success wasn't just in music, but also in entertainment. She starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 comedy "9 to 5," which was about three secretaries who turn on their sexist boss.

"At that time, you know, we were really feeling like we were making a statement that really needed to be made, and we did," said Parton of the movie. "Of course, here we are all these many years later, still needing to do more...like, equal pay for equal work and that sort of thing."

Unlike her former co-star Fonda, who has been arrested multiple times during climate protests, Parton told "The View" that she would rather not get arrested to make a point.

"I kind of try to contribute in my own way. I'm an entertainer and I do it a little different," she said. "Everyone's got their own way of kind of making their points and I try to do it my way and they do it theirs."

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