Simple Language

Welcome to our website in simple language.

We are the CARING CULTURE LAB.

We stand for gender equity and care in the arts.

Gender equity means: People of all genders should have the same rights and opportunities.

We want to help artists combine their work and care responsibilities more easily.

We have a lot of knowledge and experience.

We want to collect this knowledge and share it.

Why we do what we do

For artists, it is often difficult to work in their profession and perform care work.

Care work means: looking after others.
For example, looking after your own child or a family member who needs help.

People who do care work are called people with care duties.


Care work is often not paid.
And most of the time, it is done by women.
That’s unfair.
Women often can’t work as much in their paid jobs.
They earn less money.
They also get less pension later.
Also, care work is very hard and stressful.

We support artists with care duties.
We want better living and working conditions for them.
Today, many artists with care work are left out.
It’s hard for them to keep working in the arts.
We want to connect art, care work, and gender fairness.

Why we exist

Many people think art is very modern.
By 'the arts' we mean all artistic disciplines.
This includes, for example:

  • Visual arts (like painting, photography, sculpture)
  • Performing arts (like theatre and dance)
  • Music
  • Literature
  • Media

The arts are considered progressive.
But there is still a lot of gender unfairness in the arts.
For example:
In the arts, women earn 25 % less than men.
This is called the gender pay gap.
In all jobs in Germany, women earn about 16 % less.
That shows:
Women in the arts are paid much worse than in other jobs.


Another example:
42 % of all parents in Germany say:
“I have problems at work because of care work.”
In the arts, even 92 % of parents say that.
That is nearly all parents.
People don’t understand their needs.
They face prejudice.


Working in the arts is often hard.
Pay is low.
For artists with care duties, it’s even harder.
They are often left out from:

  • Grants (money for a limited time)
  • Residencies (living and working at a different place for a while)
  • Networks
  • Exhibitions

Artists with children or family to care for have:

  • Less time
  • Less money
  • Less help

Mothers who are artists are most affected.
Because women still do most care work at home.
That’s why we say:
Care work must be seen as a big reason for unfairness in the arts.

We believe:
People in charge of arts must understand:
Artists do care work too.
Care work is part of their lives.
Only then can we reach gender fairness.
Care work is not a private problem.
Care work is for all of society.

We also believe:
We can work together in a kind, fair, and helpful way in the arts.
We believe:
We can change the arts together.
There are many ideas.
We just have to put them into action.
Let’s change the arts for the better – together!

Our goals

We want gender fairness in the arts.
That’s why we:

  • Talk about problems of care work and art.
  • Make care work more visible in the arts.
  • Connect people.
  • Share our knowledge.

We want to support arts groups and artists with care duties.
We want to show ideas and solutions for mixing art and care work in a better way.
We want to fight gender unfairness in the arts.
We want better working conditions for all.
We want long-term change.

We work mostly with these art fields:

  • Visual arts (like painting, photography, sculpture)
  • Performing arts (like theatre and dance)
  • Music
  • Literature
  • Media

Who we are

CARING CULTURE LAB was started by Dr. Sascia Bailer.

These people and groups are also part of it:

  • Marie Lienhard, Anna Gohmert (Mothers*, Warriors, and Poets)
  • Marcia Breuer (Mehr Mütter für die Kunst)
  • Teresa Monfared (Bühnenmütter* e.V.)
  • Gabi Blum and Anna Schölss (K&K – Bündnis Kunst & Kind München)
  • Ellen Louise Weise (kind+kunst Berlin)
  • Ines Doleschal and Alice Münch (fair share! Sichtbarkeit für Künstlerinnen)
  • Tanja Blum (freelance culture manager)

Lucia Schmuck is a freelance graphic designer and artist. She designed this website.

Supporters

We thank our supporters:

  • Stiftung Kunstfonds and Federal Government for Culture and Media (2024–2025)
  • Kulturamt Stuttgart (2024)
  • Zentrum für Kulturelle Teilhabe Baden-Württemberg (2023–2025)
  • Aktion Mensch (summer 2025)

We need donations

All support ends in mid-2025.
After that, everyone works as a volunteer.
We are happy about your support!

Note about language

We write some words with a star:
Like this: artist*
The star means:
We don’t just mean women and men.
We mean people of all genders.

We also write mother* with a star.
We want to show: When we say the word mother, we don’t mean only women.
We mean all people who take care of others and who feel like a mother.
No matter what gender they have.

You can find this information on our website

Note: The texts in the other menu sections are written in everyday language.

In the CARING CULTURE LAB section, you can read about our group and what we want to do. You can also find this text earlier on this page in easy language.

In the News section, you can find news about art and care work. For example, about current exhibitions.

In the Archive section, you will find past events, actions, and information from our network.

In the Networks section, you can find other groups from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. These groups also want to make it easier to do both art and care work.

In the Better Practices section, we collected a lot of information and materials. They are for artists with care responsibilities and for cultural institutions. You can find tips and ideas for cultural institutions. You can also find lists of family-friendly grants and residencies.

In the Resources section, you can find more information if you want to learn more about art and care work or gender justice. For example, there is a book list and links to articles and videos.

In the Mentoring and Consulting section, you can see what we offer. We give advice to artists and cultural institutions. You can book a free first meeting. Are you interested? Then please contact us.

In the Community and Contact section, you can find our contact information.