oa Prospects, Problems and the Role of Artistic Education in Ensuring Balanced Cultural Development

This paper is based on the results of our own sociological survey designed to investigate the situation with the cultural sphere in contemporary Russia from a gender perspective. We demonstrate that there is a gender imbalance in this field, predicated, in particular, on the pay gap between male and female workers, and argue that this contributes to the vicious circle of culture remaining dominated by female labour, and lagging behind other major spheres of life in Russian society as underfunded and non-prestigious. We then discuss the dangers of such a state of affairs for the country as a whole and argue that, alongside state policies and state investment in culture, it is art and artistic education that are crucial for improving the current situation. Furthermore, we argue that, contrary to standard perceptions, it is, in fact, culture that is vital for the country's future and spiritual survival, while all the other spheres of life and economy are defined by it and effectively function as its corollaries.