KEY FINDINGS

• A multifaceted gender gap persists in almost all cultural fields in most parts of the world. Women are not only severely under-represented in the workforce, particularly in key creative roles and decision-making positions, but they also have less access to resources and face substantial pay gaps.
• The disparity is not widely recognized but needs to be acknowledged and tackled if true diversity of cultural expressions is to be achieved.
• The 2005 Convention cannot be properly implemented without actively promoting gender equality among creators and producers of cultural expressions as well as among citizens in terms of access to and participation in cultural life.
• The gender equality goal set by the Convention calls for both specific measures and, equally importantly, the integration of a gender perspective into all cultural policies and measures
• Systematically collected, sex-disaggregated national and global data is urgently required to clarify the situation, increase awareness and understanding, inform policies and plans, and enable monitoring of progress towards gender equality in cultural expressions.
• Diversity of cultural expressions will remain elusive if women are not able to participate in all areas of cultural life, as creators and producers and as citizens and consumers.

Photo: Teresa Freitas, Head in Clouds¸ 2015, Portugal