Weeks after announcing its 2019 awards nominations that lacked Female Entertainer of the Year nominees, the Academy of Country Music said it is setting up a task force to examine the issues facing women and minorities in country music.

The task force will “examine barriers and biases affecting women and underrepresented groups in country music” and “provide constructive recommendations about where progress can be made within the academy as well as the industry at large,” Billboard quoted Academy of Country Music CEO Pete Fisher as saying.

There was a notable absence of women in the entertainer of the year category for the second consecutive year when the nominations for the 54th annual Academy of Country Music Awards were announced on February 20.

It was a white men-only list, consisting of Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban.

The last time a female won the award was when Taylor Swift took home the top prize in 2011.

Reba McEntire, who is due to host the ACM Awards next month, has expressed her disappointment at the lack of female nominees.

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