Standard Chartered Bank UAE highlights gender pay disparity with "Art Gap"

Apr. 04, 2019

On International Women’s Day and with March being the Women’s History Month, Standard Chartered Bank UAE pledged that it would raise awareness about gender pay inequality and one example of this is in the world of art. This initiative comes also in line with the UAE’s vision 2021 to be one of the world's top 25 countries for gender equality by 2021.

Held during the World Art Dubai at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 3^rd to 6^th April 2019, the ‘Art Gap’ exhibition aims to add local voices to the global conversation.  According to the 2017 Gender Bias in Art study, titled "Is gender in the eye of the beholder?" and published by University of Oxford: art work by women sells for 47.6% less than work by men. Even where art work was produced through artificial intelligence, respondents consistently ranked works they believe to have been made by female artists lower.

The event will be an ideal platform for women artists in the UAE, to come together and make a powerful statement by painting 47.6% less.

Rola Abu Manneh, CEO Standard Chartered UAE said: 

“At Standard Chartered we are passionate about promoting equality and committed to driving an inclusive and diverse culture at work. The “Art Gap” exhibition is a great initiative to highlight such an important topic; gender pay inequality. We want others to get inspired by this event and to support the drive for change not only in the world of art or banking but in all industries. I encourage you all to join us and support the cause. Organising this event reaffirms the Bank’s commitment to the national agenda, which aims to make the UAE one of the world's top 25 countries for gender equality by 2021.” 

 

Batool Jafri, Curator of Art Gap and Emirates Woman of the Year 2018, said:

“The hand that rocks the cradle, is the hand that rules the world. Let’s give this hand the value it deserves. World Art Dubai and Standard Chartered have come together to honour women who add beauty to the world through their art and I am happy to lend my voice and be part of this movement that respects each artist without any gender discrimination.” 

 

One of the co-authors of the study on gender bias in art, Renée B. Adams, Professor of Finance, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford said:

“Everyone is talking about diversity nowadays. But, the result of the talking is mostly just that—talk. To bring about real change, we need to act. The Art Gap exhibition presented by Standard Chartered is a cutting-edge way of leveraging scientific research to bring about change. Nobody who participates or views the exhibit will forget the message. And the next time they buy an artwork, they will approach it differently.”