Women represent a higher proportion of artists than arts leaders in every province
In most provinces, women are a majority of artists but a minority of arts leaders
In December, my census-based analysis of senior-level workers in the arts sector showed that women are neither fully represented nor equally paid in arts leadership positions in Canada. Last week, I examined the representation of women in 10 artist occupations.
Today’s post shows how the representation of women in artist and arts leadership occupations varies between the provinces. I have excluded the territories from this analysis because of uncertainties in the initial estimates (which could lead to inaccurate estimates of the percentage of women).
The analysis is quite broad-based: there are 202,900 artists and 56,200 people in arts leadership positions in Canada. 54% of artists and 42% of arts leaders are women.
The post does not contain demographic, financial, or historical analysis. These will have to wait for me to receive a custom data request. At that time, I will produce a demographic and financial analysis for sponsored jurisdictions only.
Upgrade now to the sponsor / shareable level (just $750) to get a profile of artists in your municipality or province, including many important breakdowns (occupation, gender, education, age, racialized individuals, Indigenous Peoples).
Women are a majority of artists but a minority of arts leaders in almost every province
The proportions of artists and arts leaders who are women vary significantly between the provinces, as depicted in the graph below. One thing is consistent: women account for a higher proportion of artists than arts leaders in every province. (The percentages in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are quite close.)
In 9 provinces, women are a majority of artists. (The exception is Quebec, where women represent just under one-half of artists.) In 8 provinces, women are a minority of arts leaders. (The exceptions are PEI and NL.)
Provincial and territorial details
In British Columbia, there are 21,700 women artists and 4,200 women arts leaders. Women account for similar proportions of these positions in B.C. as in the rest of the country (55% of artists vs. 54% nationally; 42% of arts leaders, equal to the national average).
There are 11,200 women artists and 1,700 women arts leaders in Alberta. Women represent 62% of the province’s artists, which is the second highest percentage among the provinces, well above the national average (54%). Women represent a somewhat higher proportion of arts leaders in Alberta (46%) than nationally (42%).
Saskatchewan is home to 2,500 women artists and 380 women arts leaders. Women represent 65% of the province’s artists, the highest proportion among the provinces and well above the national average of 54%. Women also represent a higher proportion of arts leaders in Saskatchewan (47%) than nationally (42%).
In Manitoba, there are 2,900 women artists and 560 women arts leaders. The percentages of these positions that are occupied by women are close to the national averages (56% of artists vs. 54% nationally; 41% of arts leaders vs. 42% nationally).
There are 43,700 women artists and 9,800 women arts leaders in Ontario. Women account for roughly the same percentages of artists and arts leaders as in the country as a whole (artists: 53% in Ontario vs. 54% in Canada; arts leaders: 43% in Ontario vs. 42% in Canada).
In Quebec, there are 20,900 women artists and 5,900 women arts leaders. Women represent 48% of Quebec’s artists – the only province with fewer women than men artists. (The Canadian average is 54%). Women represent a slightly lower proportion of arts leaders in Quebec (39%) than in Canada as a whole (42%).
There are 1,500 women artists and 300 women arts leaders in New Brunswick. Women represent 58% of the province’s artists, somewhat above the national average of 54%. Women also represent a higher proportion of arts leaders in New Brunswick (47%) than nationally (42%).
In Nova Scotia, there are 2,800 women artists and 480 women arts leaders. The percentages of these occupations that are occupied by women are close to the national averages (55% of artists vs. 54% nationally; 40% of arts leaders vs. 42% nationally).
Prince Edward Island has 370 women artists and 85 women arts leaders. The percentage of women artists (57%) is slightly higher than the national average (54%). Women represent a higher proportion of arts leaders in PEI (53%) than in any other province. The national average is 42%.
There are 1,100 women artists and 205 women arts leaders in Newfoundland and Labrador. Women represent 55% of the province’s artists, close to the national average of 54%. Women represent a higher proportion of arts leaders in Newfoundland and Labrador (51%) than nationally (42%). The Newfoundland and Labrador percentage is second only to PEI among the provinces.
The number of arts leaders should not be added to the number of artists, because two occupations are included as both artists and arts leaders (conductors, composers & arrangers as well as producers, directors & choreographers).
Notes on methods
Statistics Canada’s full occupation titles for the 10 occupation groups included as artists are:
Actors, comedians, and circus performers
Artisans and craftspersons
Authors and writers (excluding technical writers)
Conductors, composers, and arrangers
Dancers
Musicians and singers
Other performers (including buskers, DJs, puppeteers, face painters, erotic dancers, and many other entertainers)
Painters, sculptors, and other visual artists
Photographers
Producers, directors, choreographers, and related occupations
The five arts leadership occupations are:
Conductors, composers, and arrangers
Conservators and curators
Library, archive, museum, and art gallery managers
Managers in publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting, and the performing arts
Producers, directors, choreographers, and related occupations
Two of the arts leadership occupations (conductors etc. and producers etc.) are also included as artists. As such, the number of arts leadership workers should not be added to the number of artists.
Counts of women and men
In this post, “women” refers to the “women+” grouping that Statistics Canada developed for the 2021 census. Their statistics on “women+” include cisgender women, transgender women, as well as some non-binary individuals (likely those who were assigned female sex at birth, but that’s not 100% clear from Statistics Canada’s description).
My analysis is limited, for now, to Statistics Canada’s first public release of census occupational data, which includes women in the arts. However, there is not yet any data on, for example, Indigenous or racialized artists and arts workers. Posts on these topics will be produced and shared when I receive my custom data request (timing still unknown).
“Professional” artists, i.e., those who worked more hours as an artist than in any other job
This analysis essentially relates to professional artists (and arts leaders), but with a very specific concept of “professional”. The census data on occupations include people who worked more hours as an artist than at any other occupation between May 1 and 8, 2021, plus people who were not in the labour force at that time but had worked more as an artist (or arts leader) than at another occupation between January of 2020 and May of 2021.
The census does not ask about any other notions of “professional”, such as acceptance by peers, a body of work in the field, etc.
This means that part-time artists who spent more time at another occupation in May of 2021 would be classified in the other occupation.
We know that many artists compile multiple activities into a portfolio career, or at least into a bundle of gigs that (hopefully) earn them a living income. Because many of these artists would be counted in their other job(s), I have always noted that the census tends to undercount artists.
Context: May of 2021
The pandemic context in the spring of 2021 is important to keep in mind when interpreting census data on artists, which were collected in May of 2021.
As of May 8, 2021, 39% of Canadians had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and just 3% had received two doses, according to the Government of Canada. At that time, the country was recovering from the third wave of COVID-19, which at its peak saw the largest number of cases as of that date (see this graph). The federal government had just approved the first vaccine for children between 12 and 15 years of age.
The Canada Recovery Benefit was still in place in May of 2021, providing income support to some of those who needed it.
In terms of arts attendance, between the start of the pandemic and May of 2021:
Just 6% of Canadian culture goers had attended an indoor arts or cultural performance.
10% of Canadian culture goers had attended an outdoor arts or cultural performance.
14% of Canadian culture goers had visited an art gallery or museum.
These statistics are drawn from the July 2021 issue of the Arts Response Tracking Study.
Between the time of the 2016 census (i.e., the second quarter of 2016) and the time of the 2021 census (the second quarter of 2021), Statistics Canada’s national culture and sport indicators indicate that the direct impact of the arts on Gross Domestic Product had not changed at all, after factoring in inflation. Similarly, total output in the arts (similar to total revenues) had increased by just 0.4%, after adjusting for inflation.