No surprise: women already were and continue to be the main group of participants in cultural activities in the city, but their role in management or commissioning tasks still needs a boost and attention. Nowadays, however, in the estimate of figures relating to culture and gender in Barcelona that the Observatory of Cultural Data of the Barcelona Institute of Culture prepares every year, the fact stands out the most is that the percentage of female award-winners and grant-winners is higher than that of male award-winners and grant-winners.

Among the good news offered by the clear presentation of last year’s figures is the one that shows the evolution of the City of Barcelona Awards, which are presented around Santa Eulàlia. For some years now the number of women on the juries that award the different prizes has been growing, but this year it has fallen to 50%. And, despite this, what has increased is the number of female winners, who represent 58% of the prizes awarded last year. Just think that, not so long ago, in 2013 or 2016, the percentage of prize-winners was 15%, so it can be said that these prize-winning women have finally broken the glass ceiling they had on their heads.

The same happens with the writing grants awarded in 2023 by the City Council. The Montserrat Roig grant for novels was awarded to fourteen women and six men this year, and the Carme Montoriol grant for dramatic writing to three women and one man.

Municipal libraries (83%), civic centres (77%), exhibition centres (60%) and municipal archives (50%) are run by women, a percentage that drops in the section on theatres (33%) and museums and heritage sites (29%).

In general, as we said, most of the people who use the city’s cultural services are women, the main users both in civic centres (82% of the people enrolled in workshops last year, for example), popular festivals and libraries (just think that women make up 74% of the participants in reading clubs), and in cultural activities in general. Women are also the majority of visitors to municipal museums, apart from exceptions such as the Museu Marítim de Barcelona and the MUHBA – Plaça del Rei.

Where the number of women has grown strongly is in the activities programmed during the Grec 2023 Festival of Barcelona. In this last edition, 67.5% of spectators were women, a figure that has been increasing over the last few years, but which this past summer reached the highest number of female participation ever recorded among Grec audiences. Moreover, the number of female directors at the festival has continued to grow (55% in 2023).

If we look at the figures for women in charge of festivals in the city, overall women lead 41%, there is equality in 23% of cases and 36% are directed by men. The presence of women in directing tasks is particularly marked at visual arts festivals (89%) and performing arts festivals (64%).

The Festa Major de Barcelona, Pantalla Barcelona, Barcelona Districte Cultural Argumenta and En Residència are other programmes analysed in the study by the Observatori de Dades Culturals of the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona. If you would like to study the complete figures, please consult them at this link.