The systemic underfunding of the arts is a feminist issue due to its disproportionate effect on women and the ramifications it could have on women voicing societal frustrations. Defunding the arts cuts funding in areas where women are starting to emerge at the forefront. In academic settings, women are well represented. At A-Level, girls make up the majority of entries into subjects such as Art, English Literature and Music (as stated on the ‘Education Data Lab’ website). At university level, the arts are also more popular with women. Defunding fields where women are enrolling in huge numbers makes this a feminist issue: it disproportionately affects women and undermines female contribution to these areas.
However, women may be starting to dominate the arts in academic institutions but in formal institutions and employment areas, men continue to dominate. Although more women currently study art, men remain overrepresented in galleries. In 2022, research by Murray Edwards Collage Cambridge showed that only seven percent of art in major UK museums was produced by women. It seems like formal institutions struggle to see women shift from the muse to the artist. Furthermore, in the UK’s culture sectors, only 15 per cent of women under the age of 35 are in senior roles, compared with 31 per cent of men, as published by the Creative Land Trust. As more women graduate with art degrees, there will be greater female representation in galleries, libraries, museums. However, if the arts continue to be undermined and underfunded, equality in these spaces could be stalled. Funded pathways, bursaries, and grants are likely the first things to be axed when discussions of cutting costs in the arts emerge. It is these opportunities that have often allowed women entry into a world previously guarded by men.
Less investment in facilitating female voices will continue the tradition of sidelining women in the arts. Women have always made huge contributions to the arts. They have always written literature, composed music and staged theatre. Realising these artists requires funding; facilitating more women engaging in the arts requires funding. Without it we will continue to undervalue women’s contributions.
Key to this discussion must be the function of the arts as a forum for discussion and medium by which social issues are presented. Whether it be literature, artwork, theatre, artists have used these creative spaces to connect with the public and advocate for change. Defunding these spaces means communities and groups will struggle to express their frustrations as effectively. Take the radical ‘Guerrilla Girls,’ an anonymous feminist art group founded in 1985. They used graphic art interventions to voice their anger at the sexism and racism of the art world. By defunding the arts, we undermine the ways social movements have striven for change. The ‘Guerrilla Girls’ demonstrated the value of using art to challenge heavily male institutions. Art is an effective and powerful instrument for change. Defunding a tool that has benefited the feminist cause in such a tangible way risks weakening similar movements in the future.
Photo by gilber franco on Unsplash
