Women in the Audience, Men in Power: Who Really Shapes Culture?

By Katarina Milićević

When you want to see a theater performance, attend a classical music concert, or go to a book launch—who do you invite to share that experience? Your mother, sister, friend? Or your partner, brother, a male friend? In most cases across Europe—and even more so in Serbia—the audience at cultural events is predominantly female. Data from Eurostat and regional research institutions consistently point to a strong feminization of cultural audiences.

In 17 out of 26 analyzed EU countries, women lead in overall cultural participation. But when we look at more specific, deeper forms of cultural engagement, the gender gap becomes striking. In countries like the Czech Republic, the difference in attendance at performing arts events reaches 10% in favor of women. In our region, the numbers are even more pronounced: 65–75% of theater audiences are women, 60–75% of library visitors and book buyers are women, and 60% of pop concert attendees are female. The only space where numbers even out is the cinema. In contrast, men dominate sports events (70–90%) and rock concerts (60–70%).

Why Is the Audience Female?

Why are women so much more present in theaters and libraries? The answer lies deep in sociology and the way we are raised. From an early age, girls are encouraged to recognize, articulate, and share their emotions. Boys, on the other hand, are still often expected to suppress emotions and channel their energy into competition.

Art requires empathy and introspection. Through socialization, women are simply more trained to read interpersonal relationships and psychological nuances unfolding on stage or in literature.

There is also the factor of invisible labor. Women still carry the largest burden of unpaid work at home and care responsibilities for children and the elderly. Attending a cultural event becomes a form of escape—a rare moment when a woman can step out of her roles as mother, partner, or worker and exist purely as an observer, thinker, and individual. For many women, culture is not just entertainment; it is a space of freedom where their experiences, struggles, and dilemmas are validated.

Modern cultural production increasingly addresses themes of women’s rights, patriarchal pressure, and gender roles, turning the stage into a platform for social dialogue. Interestingly, women initiate over 70% of visits to cultural events. They are the true cultural drivers—tracking programs, choosing performances, and buying tickets not only for themselves but for their partners, families, and friends.

On the other end of the spectrum are spaces where men maintain overwhelming dominance. Live sports events, according to Eurostat, are still largely male territory across Europe. In some regional countries, the gap exceeds 20 percentage points. Just as girls are steered toward art, boys are socialized through sports, fan culture, and the collective identity found in stadiums. For many men, attending a match is a socially accepted outlet for emotions and a primary form of bonding. A similar pattern appears at rock and heavy metal concerts, where audiences remain predominantly male, shaped by a long tradition of glorifying masculine rebellion and machismo.

Glass Ceilings in the Arts

Official data from Serbia’s Statistical Office and the University of Arts show that women make up around 70% of enrolled students and 73% of graduates in arts faculties.

Yet once these women enter the field, they encounter a different reality: cultural policy is largely shaped by men. Since the introduction of multiparty politics in Serbia in 1990, there have been 16 Ministers of Culture—only two of them women.

Looking at leadership in cultural institutions reveals the same pattern. The National Theatre in Belgrade, founded in 1868, has had female directors only twice. Serbia’s oldest theater, the Knjaževsko-Serbian Theatre in Kragujevac, has never had a woman in a leadership role since its founding in 1835.

The imbalance between those who create culture and those who control it decreases only as institutional power declines. In local cultural institutions, women are more likely to be in leadership roles—but this often correlates with lower budgets and reduced influence. The reality remains: the less money a profession holds, the more likely it is to be feminized. Cultural institutions in Serbia operate on minimal budgets, surviving largely thanks to women who sustain them—both as professionals and as audiences.

Women are heavily represented in operational roles—producers, organizers, PR managers—carrying the invisible workload behind the scenes. Meanwhile, top positions such as directors and artistic leaders remain largely reserved for men.

This inequality extends into artistic creation itself. In theater and film, women write and direct outstanding work, yet the largest budgets and most prestigious projects are still predominantly assigned to male directors. Festival juries and selection committees remain male-dominated, creating a closed loop where male establishments reward and canonize male authors.

Female authors who sell hundreds of thousands of books are often dismissed as “women’s writing,” a label used pejoratively, while male-authored work is automatically considered universal literature.

In film, both in Serbia and the region, female directors are becoming more visible, but women are particularly strong in production. Producers like Jelena Mitrović and Snežana van Houwelingen have demonstrated exceptional skill in securing funding, managing international co-productions, and building complex projects. They didn’t wait to be chosen—they built their own production companies and fought for every opportunity. Through their work, they bring new perspectives to the industry, addressing taboo topics and redefining women’s roles on screen.

A Harsh Market and the Price of Age

In the arts market, the gender gap takes on another dimension—age. In performing arts, particularly acting, a harsh double standard prevails. While male actors often reach their peak in their forties and fifties, receiving the most complex and leading roles, women of the same age see a sharp decline in opportunities.

Industry ageism quickly sidelines them, reducing their roles to supporting characters—mothers, wives, or aunts to male protagonists. This is not just a matter of artistic recognition; it directly affects the financial stability and livelihoods of women working in culture.

Time to Redefine Power

Statistics paint a clear picture of the cultural landscape in both the region and Europe. Culture loses immense potential when half the population remains confined to the audience, while access to decision-making power is restricted.

It is not enough for women to be consumers of culture—the ones who fill seats and sustain institutions financially. Real change must come from the top down: through fairer budget distribution, stronger representation of female authors in education, and systemic support for women to move from operational roles into leadership positions.

Culture is often described as the last line of defense for humanity and freedom. But to truly fulfill that role, it must stop reflecting the same patriarchal patterns its audience is striving to overcome.

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