Statistics about female in the art and culture industry in U.S.

The Condition of Women Artists in the United States

By Jihye You, Jiin Kim

These statistics about the condition of women artists in the U.S. are taken from 2 research papers in 2005-2009 and 2011; Gender Ratio of Artists, Percent of the U.S. Artists Who Are Female, Median Wages and Salaries by Artists Occupation, Median Wages and Salaries of by Gender and Artists Occupation, Median Wages and Salaries of Full-Year/Full-Time Artists by Gender.

If you see these statistics, you can see the difference between female and male artists. Also, you will find women artists in the U.S. need help.

Gender Ratio of Artists: 2005-2009

Percent of the U.S. Artists Who Are Female: 2005-2009

Similar to the total labor force, the proportion of female artists is 46%. The highest percent, 77.9%, of female artists is dancers and choreographers. Writers/authors were second, followed by Designers. Only 21.2% of announcers and 24.9% architects are women.

Median Wages and Salaries by Artists Occupation: 2005-2009

The two of best-paying artist occupations are architects and producers/directors; men compose 75 percent and 63 percent, respectively.

Median Wages and Salaries of by Gender and Artists Occupation: 2005-2009

Among actors, architects, dancers/choreographers, designers, fine artists/art directors/animators and photographers, women earn 74~81% of what a male artist would earn for the same work. Only women musicians and other entertainers earn a little more (by $0.02 per dollar) than men.

Median Wages and Salaries of Full-Year/Full-Time Artists by Gender: 2005-2009

Female artists, on average, earn 81% of what a male artist would earn for the same work. The difference in median wages and salaries of full-year, full-time artists between men and women is 8,923 dollars.

*Distinct Artists Occupation

Actors: stage, television, radio, video, or motion picture

Announcers: radio, television, public address systems, events

Architects: private residencies, commercial buildings, landscape architecture

Fine artists, art directors, and animators: art directors; craft artists; fine artists include: painters, sculptors, and illustrators; multimedia artists; animators

Dancers and choreographers: dancers, choreographers, and dance teachers

Designers: commercial and industrial designers; fashion designers; floral designers; graphic designers; interior designers; merchandise displayers; and set and exhibit designers

Other entertainers: circus performers; comics; jugglers; magicians; puppeteers; rodeo performers; show girls; ventriloquists, and other entertainers

 Musicians: music directors, composers, musicians, and singers

Photographers: includes scientific photographers, aerial photographers, and photojournalists

Producers and directors: stage, television, radio, video, or motion picture production

Writers and authors: advertising writers; authors; biographers; copy writers; crossword-puzzle creators; film writers; magazine writers; novelists; playwrights; sports writers; and lyricists

Source:

2005-2009 ACS PUMS, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce

2011 Artists and Arts Workers in the United States, National Endowment for the Arts