Perception issues for women in the art world

It is not easy being an artist. The last thing artists need is gender discrimination, but that is exactly what female artists get. Is there anything that can be done about it? This was the question that we (JungYun Han, Henrich R. Greve, and I) wanted to address with data on Korean artists and their exhibitions abroad. We found that female artists were less successful than males in exhibiting abroad, as (unfortunately) expected, but that difference was not our main interest. Instead, we wanted to know whether we could identify anything in women's careers that reduced or eliminated their disadvantage. We could. As it turns out, attending art residency programs to network with other female artists helped. Female artists felt more empowered, they saw the right role models and had a higher probability of exhibiting abroad afterwards. Here is a link to an expanded post by Henrich R. Greve, which then has a link to our article that just came out in the Journal of International Business Studies. https://lnkd.in/d53pfRaj

The art industry is a complex and paradoxical landscape, where women comprise the majority of the workforce yet we still face structural barriers to advancement and equitable representation. Please take the time to read the findings of our survey “Hardwiring Change for Women in the Arts Workplace" a pivotal initiative in partnership with artnet - Naomi Rea It is a natural extension of AWITA's principles - in part why AWITA was founded by a cohort of collegiate women 8 years ago - to support female ambition through fostering collaboration, facilitating mentorship, developing skillsets, and expanding professional networks. The talent pool of women in the arts workforce is huge, rich, and deep. We hear time and again of the power of art and artists to tell stories, but we sometimes don't talk enough about the stories embedded in female cultural leadership. The personal stories of women in the arts workplace are inspiring - deep, rich, authentic. The relationships and networks we form through sharing our stories are a connective tissue that stitches the community of the art world together. Personal and collective narratives can be transformative and awesome; they can also disappoint and shock - but ultimately, stories are also slippery and hard to measure. We all know what feels right, what feels fair, but feelings are emotional. With this initiative, we wanted to move beyond anecdotal evidence and try to put some numbers to what we experience. We drew our inspiration from data feminism, defined as "a way of thinking about data that is informed by direct experience, and by a commitment to action." This approach recognizes that power is not equally distributed and that data collection itself represents power. There are structural issues; women still take on a disproportionate amount of care roles which the art worlds working hours / travel / low pay exacerbate. Also our industry is unregulated, largely controlled by patriarchal pyramid management and founder culture which plays to historic male power structure and unconscious gender bias. But on the upside I think there are solutions. Transparency, flexibility, mentoring and networking … and sharing stories of positive success and female leadership. Huge thanks to Mary Findlay Senior Curator Deutsche Bank for hosting us and to the superb panel of inspiring cultural leaders who offered candid insights - Sadie Coles, Founder Sadie Coles Gallery, India Phillips Managing Director Bonhams and Clarrie Wallis Director Turner Contemporary moderated by Margaret Carrigan Also sincere thanks to Sandy Dewar who worked with us on editorial data analysis. Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA)

If the art world is so progressive, why is gender equity still lagging behind? A new report by Artnet and the Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA) reveals what many already know: the gender equity gap in the art industry remains deeply entrenched. While the majority of the art workforce is female, senior leadership, pay equity, and clear advancement pathways still favour men. One respondent put it plainly: “There is a total lack of transparency in recruitment and promotion practices.” And it’s not just about who holds power—it’s about how they’re compensated. Another participant shared: “I had to find out from a male colleague what my predecessor made in the same role—and it was significantly more.” These are not isolated experiences. The report identifies persistent issues: • Lack of pay transparency • Gendered networking and mentorship access • Bias in recruitment and promotion processes Where MPD Culture Consultants Comes In At MPD Culture Consultants, we believe in Career Development as Cultural Practice, and we are committed to shifting how leadership is sourced, evaluated, and supported in the cultural sector. Our services directly address the barriers identified in the report: • Executive Search – We work with institutions to embed equity into every step of the hiring process, identifying leaders who reflect the diversity and values of the communities they serve. • Pay Transparency Frameworks – We help organizations develop and publish clear compensation bands to eliminate hidden disparities and rebuild trust. • Strategic Planning – We support clients in aligning recruitment, retention, and advancement strategies with measurable EDI goals—not just good intentions. The report makes clear that “hope is not a strategy.” Equity in the arts will only be achieved through structural accountability, transparent leadership practices, and bold cultural change. If your institution is ready to lead—not just follow—MPD Culture Consultants is ready to help. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gneGtZTv #GenderEquity #PayTransparency #ExecutiveSearch #StrategicPlanning #EDI #MPDCultureConsultants

Did you know women in creative feel there is an expiry date on their career? 💥 The last few weeks, I have been privileged to have some deep and meaningful conversations with women in creative. From incredible places like Canva, Koto, Hotwire, Havas, Mamamia, M&C Saatchi Group AUNZ. I mean look at this line up of absolute friggen powerhouses. So, let me tell you a little bit about the issue 👉🏼 We’ve heard from some female creatives that they feel like once they hit a certain age, their career in the creative industry slows down or ends. They find they get far less opportunities compared to when they were younger, aren’t considered for very senior roles and that in some instances when looking for new opportunities, employers aren’t as interested in their skills, experience and what they have to offer.   Let me tell you businesses can do 👉🏼 The authority gap plays a role here – and if you’re not familiar with it, it’s the gap that measures how much the world takes women less seriously than men. This generally leads to less women in senior and leadership roles, which is what they would expect to be moving into once they hit a certain stage in their career. When you’re recruiting for those top senior positions, ask your recruiter (internal or agency) or your HR team to present the candidates to you without names, photos or anything that’ll bias you towards one candidate or another. In addition, ask them to give you an even split of male and female candidates (when possible) and ensure that the job ad encourages women to apply for the role, even if they don’t meet 100% of the requirements. If you want to learn more about the authority gap, check out these two articles (I have linked them in the comments section below.) 🔥 Challenging the authority gap 🔥 The authority gap between men and women hurts us all If you'd like to share a story, talk about this issue or others that women in creative are facing, I would LOVE to arrange a walk and talk with you 🫶🏼 Less than 10% of creative directors are women - F#CK THAT! #creativenatives #womenincreative #genderequality

With all the buzz surrounding SLB’s Heeramandi, I fell into a rabbit hole reading about the real Heera Mandi and what it tells us about art, eroticism, and female agency in the arts. In its heyday, Heera Mandi was a cultural hub led by the ‘Tawaifs’, highly skilled women who were trained in art, dance, and poetry. They embraced free expression and eroticism while having substantial wealth and personal agency. During the colonial rule, their unique blend of art and eroticism and their agency over their body was reduced to mere economic transactions — stripping them of their cultural power and unfairly portraying them as either immoral or exploited. Sounds familiar right? Female creativity, especially in erotic contexts, still faces judgement - taking away the intrinsic value of female art and agency. When thinking about agency in art, I often come back to this quote by filmmaker Agnes Varda: The first feminist gesture is to say: “OK, they’re looking at me. But I’m looking at them.” The act of deciding to look, of deciding that the world is not defined by how people see me, but how I see them. The female gaze – erotic or otherwise – is key to art that authentically portrays women, their perspectives, and their experiences. What are your thoughts? Let’s continue this conversation in the comments! #Heeramandi #FemaleGaze #Art #WomeninArt #sanjayleelabhansali Image credit: Royal Historical Society