Policy cycle in culture

As there are no specific collections of data pertaining to culture and the contribution of culture to the economy, culture statistics are derived from existing multi-purpose data collections. The culture statistics that concern both social and economic statistics from a gender perspective relate to the following dimensions:

• employment statistics from the Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS)
• education and training statistics
• private and public expenditure from household budget surveys (HBS), in particular in the Harmonised European Time Use Survey (HETUS).

The European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS)

The European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) provides the main aggregated statistics on labour market outcomes in the EU. The EU-LFS is the main data source for employment and unemployment statistics. It includes tables on:

• population
• employment
• working hours
• job permanency
• professional status, etc.

It provides disaggregated statistics by:

• sex
• age group
• economic activity (including cultural activities)
• educational attainment and field of education
• type of employment (part-time, full-time)
• type of occupation.

From these statistics it’s possible to measure the characteristics of the labour force of women.

Education and training database

This database produces and publishes indicators on and analyses of the operation, evolution and impact of education, from early childhood through to formal education and lifelong learning and training. Data and indicators disseminated include:

• participation rates at different levels of education
• enrolment in public and private institutions
• third-level education graduates
• pupil–teacher ratios
• foreign-language learning
• expenditure on education per student
• relative GDP, etc.

Data are disaggregated by sex, age and educational level. The data collection on education statistics is based on the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). For data on educational attainment based on the EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011) has been applied since 2014.

Time use surveys (TUS)

Time use surveys (TUS) measure the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, household and family care, personal care, voluntary work, socialising, travel, and leisure and cultural activities. This domain presents results from the first wave of the Harmonised European Time Use Surveys (HETUS 2000), carried out by several European countries between 1998 and 2006. This domain provides population estimates for 3 main indicators:

• time spent: mean time spent on the activities by all individuals
• participation time: mean time spent on the activities by those individuals who took part in the activity
• participation rate: the proportion of the individuals who spent some time doing the activities.

The 3 indicators are compiled by:

• sex and age group
• household composition
• highest level of education attained (according to ISCED-97)
• self-declared labour status, i.e. labour status as perceived by the respondent
• professional status, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition (employment, unemployment and not in the labour force)
• day of the week
• month of the year.

Harmonised European Time Use Survey (HETUS)

Traditionally, harmonised data on time use were rather scarce. However, the Harmonised European Time Use Survey (HETUS) offers an insight into how the daily time of European women and men is distributed among different activities, highlighting gender gaps and cross-national differences. HETUS contains harmonised information on the use of time by each member of the household. The list of domestic activities available in HETUS is fairly comprehensive. In 2008, Eurostat released an updated version of the guidelines on the HETUS, the purpose of which is to provide a solid methodological basis for countries intending to carry out time use surveys, to ensure that the results are comparable between countries and hence to greatly increase the value of the data.

This report analyses the implementation of the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions with the aim of monitoring its long-term impact. This study is based on the contributions of independent experts, as well as the secretary of the convention and the principal editor, putting forward for data collection and indicator building that will make possible in the near future ever more meaningful monitoring, assessment and evaluation.

The paper outlines the different forms that work segregation by sex takes  in the cultural industries, considering:

• the high presence of women in marketing and public relations roles
• the high numbers of women in production coordination and similar roles
• the domination of men of more prestigious creative roles
• the domination by men of technical jobs.

Furthermore, the authors analyse the gender dynamics at the basis of work segregation according to sex. Drawing on interviews, the authors claim that the stereotypes that may influence such segregation are referred to the following assumptions:

• women are more caring, supportive and nurturing
• women are better communicators
• women are ‘better organised’
• men are more creative because they are less bound by rules.

The article aims at introducing an exploration of inequalities within the cultural and creative industries (CCI) marking the significance of gender for an understanding of creative labour in the neoliberal economy.

Researches reveal that gendered patterns of disadvantage and exclusion are complicated by divisions of class, and also disability, race and ethnicity and amplified by the precariousness, informality and requirements for flexibility. The article underlines that these features are widely typical of contemporary creative employment. Other topics covered in the article concern the disadvantages due to the boundary-crossing (for instance, between home and work, paid work and unpaid work), as well as the pressures around identity-making and self-presentation, or difficulties related to sexism and the need to manage parenting responsibilities alongside earning.

This article tackles the presence of gender inequalities in the film industry. In particular, it analyses the gendered working lives of below-the-line film workers in New Zealand, in the context of the western film industry, observing that women’s good ideas, merits or work capabilities are often less likely to be recognized  than those of men.

The paper presents a case study of Irish television, revealing that gendered production routines and role allocations become embedded over time and eventually form a gendered culture of television production that prohibits Irish women’s equal participation. The study underlines that gender segregation can be detected even in television processes, considering that women and men are channeled into different types of roles where they receive differential rewards and opportunities from their work. Nevertheless, despite the reproduction of gendered work roles, routines and cultures, women offer evidence of sustainable and valued careers in production.

The compendium provides information on cultural policy developments in the Council of Europe Member States, including a specific section on gender equality in culture.

The study presents an overview of the status of gender equality in culture, revealing that this field is permeated by the same inequalities and discrimination than other areas of society. The publication originates from the consideration that gender is a cultural and social construction. Moreover it is underlined that the cultural interpretation and negotiation of gender is crucial to the identity of individuals and their communities. The analysis takes into consideration some of the most important United Nations reports and General Assembly resolutions, considering also significant case studies from all across the word. 

The report addresses gender equality in the media sector, paying particular attention to women’s role in the decision-making process. The report identifies the main gender gaps and provides a set of policy recommendations to overcome them. 

The Routledge companion to media and gender assesses gender equality in the media sector, analysing controversies and future trends in this sector from a gender perspective. The companion addresses the following issues, specifically relevant for future debates on gender mainstreaming in the media: 

• post feminism
• sexual violence
• masculinity
• media industries
• queer identities
• video games
• digital policy
• media activism
• sexualisation
• docusoaps
• teen drama
• cosmetic surgery
• media Islamophobia
• sport
• telenovelas
• news audiences
• pornography
• social and mobile media.

Gender and the media provides an analysis of how gender issues are addressed in the media, with a particular focus on gender mainstreaming in the following areas: talk shows, magazines, news, advertising, and contemporary screen and paperback romances. The book discusses how women’s and men’s representation in these areas are changing in the 21st sector, following the feminist movements’ requests/actions and anti-racist critiques. The report provides an in-depth assessment of available tools and methodologies for analysing representations raising the question of the usefulness of these tools and methodologies in promoting gender equality in the Western media and cultural policies.

The gender equality checklist includes questions on how gender equality is ensured in all work-related aspects in the performing arts, from planning of rehearsals to ways of working, casting, costuming, make up, marketing, etc. A separate checklist was drawn up for the film sector. The list is designed as a tool to help identify possibilities and obstacles concerning gender equality. It raises questions challenging gender norms, such as:

• Has the team considered issues like ethnicity, gender, power and sexuality?
• Has the production company discussed whether the story contributes to preserving or challenging prevailing norms and notions concerning for example age, ethnicity, disabilities, sexuality?
• Has the production company considered how people are depicted in words and in pictures and how people are exposed in the marketing of the film?

The checklist is used widely in the performing arts sector in Sweden. An evaluation of the checklist is currently being carried out between the trade union and the Swedish performing arts employers’ organisation (Svensk Scenkonst) with the purpose of creating a common checklist.

This report establishes a methodological framework for assessing equality, including gender, in 4 areas:

• arts and cultural audiences
• arts and cultural participation
• workforce and access to finance.

Furthermore, it offers a baseline of data, evidence and research about equality and diversity across the arts and cultural sector.

The guidelines include a methodological framework for assessing the economic social and cultural impacts of copyright on the creative economy. Gender equality is one of the issues considered in the social impacts. Thus , the guidelines provide recommendations on how to assess gender issues in this area.

This network was set up in 1979 to enhance women’s participation in the international entertainment industry; it has 37 local branches also in several EU countries such as Italy, Denmark, Sweden, UK and Ireland.

This is a global network of women and men working to increase and enhance musical activities and opportunities and to promote all aspects of the music of women.