Women outnumber men in science and technology degree programs? The numbers are less uneven than they used to be, but to my knowledge, those programs are still pretty heavily male-dominated.
Women and men are pretty equal in terms of degrees, even doctorates, in the biological sciences. But men still get more of the tenure track positions at prestigious research-focused universities.
Physics and engineering still have more male students at both the undergraduate and graduate level, though there are more women doing these things than there once were. Again, the percentage of women who go on to win tenure track positions at research universities is lower.
All kinds of reasons for this that don't relate to the ability of women overall. I don't know whether similar reasons would explain the discrepancy in the arts, though.
You may have to abandon your life to grab onto that chance for a fellowship, an installation. You may have to dedicate your evenings to networking within the arts community. You have to throw your time and emotional energy into the work itself.
I'd think the poverty thing would be more of a turn off to men as a group. Historically, men tend to turn away from lower-paying professions, because it was perceived to be the man's job to support his family.
It's true, though, that any profession that requires years of long days and lots of burning the midnight oil (like academia too) will force women to make a difficult choice that their male counterparts don't have to make.
Men can marry a younger partner and start their family later (or rely on their partner to provide the bulk of the child care), so they don't have to be so torn between family and professional development during those critical years in their twenties to late thirties.
We still don't refer to a man who has a high-status profession along with a family as "having it all. And interviewers don't seem to ask male researchers, artists, writers etc. with high profile careers what kind of a toll their success has taken on their family life as often as they do women.
Yes, I know there is systematic sexism. Women are being overlooked in these exhibitions. But another of the changes we have to make as a society is supporting women who want to dedicate themselves completely to their passion. The interview shouldn't always have to include, "You made the choice not to have children ..."
No arguments here. But I wonder if this is something that's ever going to happen in the US, given our general mistrust of social programs and government support for things that we don't see as very, very practical. Even scientific research gets fingered a lot of the time for being "too esoteric or theoretical to be worth taxpayer dollars," never mind that applied research always builds from theoretical foundations.
We take a lot of pride in our "rugged individualism" and practicality here. Countries that have done a better job than we have at closing the wage and achievement gap between the sexes across professions tend to be more socialized and to have more programs in place that support mothers and students, I believe.