More Women Participate in Cultural Activities - ABS Survey

Women are more likely to participate in cultural activities like painting than men, according to a new survey. Flickr image:   Some rights reserved by amiefedora

More women participate in cultural activities, but men are more likely to get paid for their involvement, according to results released from a new survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In 2010–11, over a quarter (27% or 4.7 million people) of Australians 15 years or older participated in a cultural activity – such as dancing, sculpting, painting, drawing or cartooning.

Women had a higher participation rate in cultural activities (31%) than men (23%), but when it came to being paid, 18% of men received a wage, salary or other payment for their participation in cultural activities compared with 12% of women receiving payment for their involvement.

Around 2.6 million people participated in one activity (15%), 1.05 million people (5.9%) participated in two activities and a further 1.08 million people (6.1%) participated in three or more activities.

People aged 15–24 years had the highest participation rate in cultural activities, at 34%. Cultural activity participation rates tended to decrease with age, with people aged 65 and over reporting a participation rate in cultural activities of 23%.

The proportion of participants with qualifications in or related to their cultural activity varied. About a quarter (26%) of participants in fashion, interior or graphic design had a qualification relevant to this activity, but only 5.9% of participants in jewellery making, textile, wood or paper crafts had relevant qualifications.

The ABS describes a cultural activity has been defined as a selected creative activity in which a person has participated, which has not been done for secondary or tertiary studies. It excludes activities with no creative aspect such as mending or repairing clothes and home do-it-yourself projects.