Gender Equity Facts

Source: A Room of Her Own: A Foundation For Women Writers and Artists

  • Only 9 out of 52 winners of the National Book Award for Fiction are women.
  • Only 11 out of 48 winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction have been women.
  • Women writers won 63% of the awards but less than 30% of the money in awards reported by Poets & Writers. (Jan/Feb ‘03 issue).
  • 94% of all the writing awards at the Oscars have gone to men.
  • A recent study by the Coalition of Women’s Arts Organizations showed that in all 1-person shows for living artists in American museums, only 2% of the featured artists are women.
  • 51% of all visual artists are female and women hold 53% of art degrees, but 80% of college faculty members are male.

Source: Guerrilla Girls

  • The number of professionally trained artists and art historians in the U.S. – Males 52%, Females 48%
  • Percentage of artists at major institutions:
  • National Gallery of Art — 98% male, 99.9% white
  • National Portrait Gallery — 93% male, 99% white
  • Hirshhorn Museum – modern and contemporary art — 95% male, 94% white
  • Exhibition opportunities: Juried (artists unknown to juror) – Males 52%, Females 48%
  • Exhibitions opportunities: Invited (artists known to juror) – Males 80%, Females 20%
  • Gender distribution of visual artists in art texts – Males 90%, Females 10%
  • Of the over 100 Tonys awarded since 1947 for theater direction, only 2-5% have been to women Directors; only 2-6% to African American Directors.

Source: MomsRising.org

  • Only four countries in the world fail to provide paid maternity leave to all workers:
  • Lesotho, Swaziland, Papua, New Guinea and the United States
  • The average college graduate who becomes a mother will sacrifice a million dollars over her lifetime.
  • Businesses that create flexible work environments find that productivity goes up, they attract more talent, turnover is reduced and their bottom line improves.
  • Single women make 90% of what men make
  • Women with children make 73% of what men make
  • Single women with children make 60% of what men make
  • Paid maternity leave is proven to lower child mortality, improve children’s learning, and reduce juvenile delinquency.
  • Paid maternity leave:
    Sweden — 15 months
    Canada — 12 months
    U.K. — 6 months
    U.S. — 0 months
    California just started offering parental leave for 6 or 12 weeks.