She plays like a man! How to strengthen equality and wellbeing at work in the cultural field?

NB! To download Abstract and recommendations, click “Download” button on the right side.

Besides legislation, conscious and unconscious attitudes play a major part in people’s wellbeing at work. The Asiallista? research project examined gender equality and wellbeing at work in the field of arts and culture. Equality and non-discrimination were viewed in the context of working life. The research was based on general studies on work conditions, wellbeing and job satisfaction in working life. The data included example cases of discrimination, harassment and abuse of power unrelated to gender, but the main objective was to examine gender equality and non-discrimination against a broader backdrop.

The project report continues on the discussion on promoting practices that enhance proper and sustainable work conditions and mutual respect in the field of arts and culture. The key questions were what maintains and what reduces problems in the cultural field and what can be done to monitor the situation. The research set its sight on the prevailing gender system and the underlying traditions, as well as on structural or systemic discrimination.

The report offers a compilation of good practices, regulations, policy recommendations and policies for promoting gender equality. It also includes exemplary recommendations for how wellbeing at work and more equal work conditions can be advanced.

The study was commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.  The need for research of this kind was set off by the Me Too movement of 2017, which made the prevalence of gender-based discrimination and harassment visible. The ethical point of departure of the research project was to promote equality and non-discrimination.

Anna Anttila 2019. Tyttöhän soittaa kuin mies! Kuinka vahvistaa taide-ja kulttuurialan tasa-arvoa ja työhyvinvointia? Cuporen verkkojulkaisuja 55. Kulttuuripolitiikan tutkimuskeskus Cupore.

ISBN 978-952-7200-39-1; ISSN 1796-9263

Read the report in Finnish here.