Perception of the barriers to women's professional development in the cultural sector: A gender perspective study

This study explores women's and men's perceptions of the specific barriers that prevent women from participating fully in the cultural labour market. To this end, an online questionnaire was administered to 375 cultural professionals in Catalonia (Spain) regarding their perceptions of the barriers faced by women in a range of areas. The results show similar views between genders regarding the difficulties associated with the work-life balance as the most important obstacle preventing women from entering specific cultural fields and from rising to decision-making positions. However, perceptions of the barriers impacting the recognition of women's career achievements differed greatly between men and women. While men place more emphasis on issues of work-life balance, women more frequently mention the existence of a glass ceiling and their exclusion from networks of influence. Regarding the visibility of women's artistic creations, although intersectionality is mentioned by both genders as the main limiting factor, there are marked differences between women's and men's perception of the other barriers. Men thus more frequently refer to the barriers of work-life balance and the association of creativity with maleness as the main factors limiting the visibility of women's artistic creations. In short, this study provides evidence to stakeholders of the different perceptions that men and women have in relation to the main barriers that prevent women from climbing the career ladder; gaining recognition and visibility for their work; and, in some creative sectors, even from entering the labour market.

Automated summary

This study explores the perceptions of women and men regarding the barriers that prevent women from fully participating in the cultural labor market. The results show that both genders recognize the difficulties associated with work-life balance as the main obstacle for women in cultural fields. However, men emphasize work-life balance, while women mention glass ceiling and exclusion from influential networks as barriers impacting recognition of women's career achievements. Regarding visibility of women's artistic creations, both genders mention intersectionality as the main limiting factor, but there are differences in perception of other barriers.