Women dominate online art sales

More than 90% of Etsy sellers are women. Why?
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Image: Bea Bellingham of Things By Bea 

In galleries, museums, performing arts companies and arts organisations generally, the question of whether the glass ceiling has been shattered is frequently contested. Women are still absent from world auction records, as well as the top jobs across sectors.

But in the online world, women are rising to the top as creative entrepreneurs. A new report from Etsy, the dominant platform for handmade wares, found 94% of sellers in Australia are women.

In the general marketplace, women make up only a third of business owners, so why Etsy?

Etsy Managing Director, Asia & Australia, Helen Souness told ArtsHub the backdrop of the findings is that women love making and creativity.

‘Not that men don’t, but there is this pool of women expressing their creativity in their homes or studios.’

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Madeleine Dore
About the Author
Madeleine Dore is a freelance writer and founder of Extraordinary Routines, an interview project exploring the intersection between creativity and imperfection. She is the previous Deputy Editor at ArtsHub. Follow her on Twitter at @RoutineCurator