Our Approach
Gender justice in the arts is only possible if care work is recognized as a central part of many artists’ biographies.
Care is not an individual matter, but a collective social responsibility. Care work can take many forms: as parents, as caregivers for chronically ill, elderly, or dis*abled family members and friends — or as active stewards of ecological and social transformations. This care work is carried out predominantly by women* and migrants. Their perspectives must be structurally included – especially in their intersections.
We advocate for a cultural sector that is caring, solidaristic, and just – and we are convinced that structural change is possible, if we shape it together. Because: the problem is not the lack of solutions, but the lack of implementation.
Let's change the arts for the better, together!
Why We Exist
In the arts, which often pride themselves on being avant-garde and progressive, gender inequalities are particularly pronounced: the gender pay gap in the cultural sector is around 25%, compared to the national average of 16%.
While 42% of parents across Germany report discrimination due to their care responsibilities, in the arts, 92% of artist parents report facing negative biases and finding that their needs are rarely considered in the funding landscape.
In the already precarious arts and cultural sector, having care responsibilities often means being excluded – from grants, residencies, networks, and exhibition opportunities. Artists with children or dependent family members lack time, financial resources, and access to infrastructure needed to continue their work on equal terms. Artist mothers* are particularly affected, as unpaid care work is still primarily carried out by women*. Therefore, care work must be recognized as a central barrier to gender equality and participation in the arts, culture, and media sectors.
Our Goals
As a nationwide, cross-disciplinary contact point for promoting gender equality in the arts, the CARING CULTURE LAB focuses on raising awareness, increasing visibility, building community, facilitating knowledge transfer, and providing training on the intersection of art and care.
The LAB aims to empower both cultural institutions and creative professionals with care responsibilities from the fields of visual arts, performing arts, music, literature, and media by providing knowledge, resources, and practical guidelines to address gender inequalities in the cultural sector and improve working conditions for everyone. By connecting various initiatives, pooling expertise, and implementing practical solutions, sustainable change can be achieved.
Who We Are
The CARING CULTURE LAB is an independent, community-driven initiative. The CARING CULTURE LAB was initiated by Dr. Sascia Bailer and is supported by Marie Lienhard, Anna Gohmert (Mothers*, Warriors, and Poets), Marcia Breuer (More Mothers for the Arts), Teresa Monfared (Bühnenmütter* e.V.), Gabi Blum and Anna Schölss (K&K – Alliance for Art & Child Munich), Ellen Louise Weise (kunst+kind Berlin), Ines Doleschal & Alice Münch (fair share! for women artists), and Tanja Blum (independent cultural manager). Our website was designed by Lucia Schmuck (independent graphic designer and artist).
Inclusive Language
We use the asterisk* (Gendersternchen) following terms like "Women" or "Mothers*" as an inclusive marker. It signifies that our usage of the terms are not limited to cisgender women or mothers, but includes all people who identify as women, as mothers – such as trans, non-binary, queer individuals and caregivers of all genders. This usage references the * (Gendersternchen) commonly used in German to promote gender-inclusive language.
Further, this website contains a page in Easy Language and follows the guidelines for Web Content Accessability (WCAG).
Supporters
We thank our supporters for their trust and backing: Stiftung Kunstfonds and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Cultural Office of Stuttgart, and the Center for Cultural Participation Baden-Württemberg and Aktion Mensch.
