The Norwegian report we reported on several months ago, showed that female artists in Norway have consistently lower incomes than male artists. In a recent Arts Professional salary survey, the gender gap in the arts sector is greater than the national average, despite the fact that women are better educated.
According to the survey: “This gender pay gap has arisen inversely to levels of education. Women employed in the sector were significantly more likely to have a first degree than men, and also more likely to have a higher degree. Yet the average salary paid to men with first degrees was £4,500 more than that paid to women; and men with higher degrees earned over £3,500 more than women with qualifications at that level. Women were also significantly more likely than men to have received financial support for professional development.”
Closing the gender wage gap has been on the agenda for several decades. However, judging by how little has happened, it is difficult to imagine when this gap will genuinely begin to close.