Gender at Work: The Status of Women in the Canadian Arts and Cultural Industries

Dr. Amanda Coles, Arts and Cultural Management/Employment Relations, Deakin University, Australia, discusses the growing body of scholarly and industry research which demonstrates that gender inequality is a defining feature of work in the creative economy. She will present findings from a 2018 research report prepared for the Ontario Arts Council which includes the status of women in the arts (visual arts, dance, theatre, literature, music and arts/screen media. This is the first cross-sectoral report of its kind in the Canadian context.

Gender inequality in the arts and cultural industries must be understood as both an employment equity issue for the artists and cultural workers telling their stories, as well as socio-cultural issue for the audiences and public who consume their stories.