Gender gaps in the cultural and creative sectors

Abstract

The Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022 selects gender equality as one of the five sectoral priorities for EU action. The purpose of this study is to provide background information and context on the specific challenges faced by women in the cultural and creative sectors for the OMC Working Group. The aim of this study is therefore to conduct a literature review and prepare a study identifying the situation of women artists and professionals in the cultural and creative sectors (CCSs), and to map the existing international recommendations aiming to achieve gender equality in these sectors. As such, this report summarises the main policy developments and recommendations made regarding cultural and creative sectors (CCSs), and gender by bodies such as the EU, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and the ILO. The main focus of the report is on understanding the current state of affairs concerning women in the CCSs, the gender gaps at work, and the underlying drivers of those gender gaps. Available quantitative data has been mapped for the different sub-sectors within the CCSs, and has been combined with information from qualitative literature and expert interviews to establish the state of affairs regarding women in these sectors, along with the drivers leading to this state of affairs. The report provides an overall analysis of gender gaps in the CCSs as a whole and presents examples of the types of initiatives which have been implemented to address these gender gaps. The report culminates in a series of conclusions and recommendations for the reflection of the OMC Working Group.