Women in arts say age and gender continue to limit career opportunities
New research has found widespread concern about gender inequality and ageism in the arts, while warning that the growing use of AI in recruitment could create additional barriers.
By The Guardian
Women working in the arts say gender inequality and age discrimination continue to restrict career opportunities, with concerns particularly pronounced among older creative professionals.
Research from Women in the Arts found that 95% of women surveyed believed gender inequality remained a problem within the industry.
Three quarters said they had personally experienced unconscious bias or sexism during their careers.
Age emerged as another significant concern.
Around 69% of respondents believed their age had negatively affected their career success, rising to 100% among those working directly in artistic roles rather than managerial positions.
The findings are based on a survey of 76 arts professionals and form part of a five-year research project examining the experiences of women working across the sector.
Women in the Arts carried out the work alongside organisations including the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, Equity, WOW, Sphinx Theatre, ERA 50:50 and the Women in Theatre Lab.
Researchers identified what they described as an industry focus on "young and emerging" talent, arguing that opportunities can become more difficult for women to access as their careers progress.
The report also raises a newer concern: the increasing use of artificial intelligence and automated systems during recruitment.
Researchers warn that hiring algorithms could reproduce existing inequalities if they are trained on historical employment patterns or interpret gaps in employment negatively.
This could have particular consequences for women who have taken time away from their careers because of childcare or other caring responsibilities.
The concern reflects a wider debate about the use of AI in recruitment.
Automated systems can be used to screen applications, rank candidates or identify people whose employment histories appear to match particular requirements.
While such technology can make recruitment more efficient, questions remain about whether automated decision-making can inadvertently reproduce biases contained within the information used to develop or operate the systems.
The arts research therefore calls for audits of recruitment algorithms alongside more traditional measures aimed at addressing workplace inequality.
Other recommendations include targeted funding, improved leadership programmes and greater representation.
The relatively small survey of 76 professionals means the percentages should not be interpreted as representing every woman working across Britain's arts sector.
However, the research forms part of a longer five-year project and provides insight into the experiences reported by those who participated.
Its findings also bring together two increasingly important workplace issues: longstanding concerns about gender and age discrimination and the emerging implications of using artificial intelligence to help make employment decisions.
For employers beyond the arts sector, the questions surrounding automated recruitment are becoming increasingly relevant as AI tools become more widely adopted by human resources departments and recruitment companies.
Businesses introducing such systems may need to consider not only whether they make recruitment faster, but whether the criteria used to assess candidates could unintentionally disadvantage particular groups.
The Women in the Arts research is due to be presented to ministers on October 12 as campaigners seek support for an all-party parliamentary group focusing on women working in the arts.