Study Suggests British Theatre's Gender Gap Steadily Closing

Arts consulting firm Purple Seven has released a study suggesting that while female representation in the creative aspects of British theatre is still significantly lower than that of males, it is steadily on the rise.

Data was collected from the programs of over 6,000 plays across 159 UK venues between 2012 and 2014 and also by using an Audience Profiler tool for theatres to discover the age, gender, ethnicity and disability status of over a half a million of their audience members.

Key findings reveal that female customers account for 65% of ticket revenue but women make up only 39% of actors hired, 36% of directors and 28% of playwrights produced.

Male playwrights write 37% of parts for women, while female playwrights write for 60% female casts and critics are more likely to award 4 and 5 star ratings to plays with casts of their own gender. While the proportion of female directors has increased by 5% since 2012, male directors still command bigger stages and higher ticket prices.

"Consciously or otherwise," the study says, "venues are systematically programming work performed and created by men and selling it to a predominantly female audience."

Click here for the complete study.