For music artists, parental income is more difficult to obtain than for ordinary employees. This is according to a new analysis from the think tank EQUALIS in collaboration with Koda, Dansk Artist Forbund and Dansk Musiker Forbund.

Reports Maternity leave in the music industry concludes that for many musicians, income during maternity leave is hard to come by and just accessing maternity benefits can be a struggle.

At the same time, the report shows that maternity leave and raising a family increases the already unequal gender balance in the Danish music industry. There are big differences in how men and women's careers can continue to develop after having children. The analysis indicates that almost 6 out of 10 female musicians surveyed find it difficult to resume their career after maternity leave, and that 1 in 4 female musicians surveyed experience being rejected because of maternity leave.

"It can't be right that artists and others in the creative industries have significantly worse parental leave conditions - just because they don't work in traditional salaried jobs. This is both a labour market policy challenge, because some are far more vulnerable than others, and a cultural policy challenge, because we risk losing talent and diversity in cultural life. When we see year after year that the gender balance in the music industry as well as in the rest of the cultural sector is lopsided, maternity leave could be one of the important reasons why the imbalance continues. If we are to have a diverse range of art and culture, we need decent working conditions for artists," says Loui Törnqvist, Chairperson of Koda.

 

Read the report: Maternity leave in the music industry

The structural barriers that perpetuate gender imbalances in career development are well known from other industries - but in a sector like the music industry, characterised by many short-term contracts and project-based work, the consequences are often even more pronounced. This is according to Gine Maltha Kampmann, Director of the think tank EQUALIS:

"We know from the overall labour market that unequal access to pay and conditions when raising a family reinforces differences in career development for men and women. The music industry and other creative industries are characterised by precarious employment conditions, so there is an even greater risk in these industries that maternity leave will have an impact on career opportunities. The report is the first of its kind to provide knowledge about artists' conditions and experiences of maternity leave in music. Knowledge that is crucial to ensure equal access and opportunities in the increasingly precarious labour market."

In connection with the launch of the report, Koda invites the Minister of Employment Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, Chairman of FH Morten Skov Christiansen, Director of the Confederation of Danish Employers Jacob Holbraad, Sara Indrio - chairperson of the Danish Artist Association and a number of stakeholders from the cultural industry to a conversation in Altinget about the challenges artists face in connection with maternity leave, family and career development.

Time: 13:30-15:30, Thursday 3 April
Location: Altinget, Ny Kongensgade 10, 1472 Copenhagen Kl
See more about the event Can artists go on maternity leave?