New Delhi: The latest report by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has underlined that women continue to be underrepresented in creative and cultural industries across the globe, with the COVID-19 pandemic further worsening the state of affairs.
The report has been published as United Nations celebrates 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. The report titled Gender & Creativity: Progress on the Precipice has been prepared by UNESCO in collaboration with the Sweden government.
The report notes that women and gender-diverse artists still continue to face a number of impediments in accessing the creative and cultural industries.
“…qualitative and quantitative data reveals that women and gender diverse artists and creators continue to face numerous barriers, including unequal access to decent work, fair remuneration, and leadership positions,” the report observes, and underscores that gender equality is fundamental to ensuring a genuine diversity of cultural expressions and equal opportunities in artistic work and cultural employment.
The rise of digital technologies has also added a new dimension to the existing gender inequalities in creative and cultural industries. As COVID-19 necessitated the shift to online engagement and work, it has led to an increase in gender-based violence, disproportionate absence of girl children from online classes, to female professionals’ limited eligibility for social and economic assistance.
“The digital divide remains a pressing concern, with women disproportionately facing obstacles to access digital tools for artistic creation and distribution including digital music platforms, online tutorials, and sound-mixing software. For example, it is estimated that worldwide, 250 million fewer women than men use the Internet, and women still represent only 21% of performers in electronic music festivals in Europe and North America,” the report observes.
The report also examines the safety and well-being of people of all genders in the workplace. Women and gender-diverse artists and creative professionals continue to be the targets of harassment, bullying and abuse.
“In recent years, the digital environment has become the new frontier in the fight for gender equality and artistic freedom,” the report adds.
As regards the COVID-19, the report states that gender inequalities have widened although women have played a key role in responding to the crisis.
“…without the systematic application of a gender perspective to policy responses, COVID-19 could have a long-lasting regressive effect on gender equality in the cultural and creative industries, as women are disproportionately represented in culture and other sectors most affected by the pandemic,” the report warns.
The report exhorts UN member states and stakeholders of creative and cultural industries to adhere to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist to embark on the path to a more equal creative economy and achieve artistic freedom for all.