In 2011–12, over 60% of arts and design students in the UK were female – but in that same year, audits found that just 31% of London galleries presented work by women. Are men simply better artists? Or are there other reasons why the gender gap widens during the trajectory of a female artist’s career?

This event, held on International Women’s Day on 8 March, explored the perspectives of inter-generational female artists who have worked in the context of the Royal Academy of Arts, and how their individual experiences have shaped their understanding of the contested role of being a female artist in the 21st century.

The panel included Royal Academicians Cathie Pilkington, Eileen Cooper and Tess Jaray, and RA Schools student Gery Georgieva, as they considered their own experiences of how they forged their careers. The discussion was moderated by Kirsty Lang, presenter of Radio 4’s Front Row.