Gender balances and imbalances in Finnish art and culture

At the request of the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture CUPORE carried out a research project on gender balance in the arts and culture.

The project first assessed the level of mainstreaming achieved in the major sectors of Finnish arts and culture. This was done in respect to equality/inequality in employment rates (male dominance/feminisation of certain cultural professions), gender gaps in wages/salaries and presence/absence of glass ceilings in career patterns. Statistical analyses revealed that libraries and museums were strongly feminised, salary differences still existed in favour of men and glass ceiling allowed men through to leadership posts and higher expert positions considerably more often than women. On the other hand, women bore major responsibility for supporting voluntary cultural activities and maintaining the interest of new generations in the arts and cultural activities.

The project also analysed the main ongoing legislative work and cultural policy programmes and strategies from the point of view of gender impact. Gender equality impacts were not sufficiently – practically not at all – taken into account in the law proposals and prevailing programmes and strategies examined.

In addition to these findings and assessments the report presents detailed recommendations for improving the present state of mainstreaming and for the need to bring gender impact assessment to cover all relevant legislation and policy programmes and strategies.

The final report was delivered to the Minister of Culture in October 2004.