Survey ︎︎︎
A Survey of Artist-Parents resulting from the project Art After Baby, supported by the National Arts Council South Africa (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 4 and 5).
Care and Creative Practice
A Survey of Artist-Parents resulting from the project Art After Baby, supported by the National Arts Council South Africa (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 4 and 5).
In our research via INCCA’s Art After Baby project, we have found the challenges faced by artist-parents in South Africa to be unsurprising based on international data. Yet we have also broadly assessed that these issues form a microcosm of deeper structural problems within the visual arts industry in this country. Artist-parents’ exclusion from mainstream platforms, residencies, exhibitions, and funding opportunities reflects a system built around assumptions of constant availability, financial independence, and individual mobility – conditions that favour not only those without caregiving responsibilities, but also more often than not, those with inherited privilege.
In late 2024, a survey of a small group of artist-caregivers revealed notable patterns clearly: over half had missed opportunities because of parenting, nearly all reported financial strain, and formal support was rare. Yet these responses also offered a vision for change – from child-friendly residencies to funding models that recognise artistic labour, and how caregiving forms a part of this.
By listening to artist-parents, we are not only addressing a marginalised group – we are advocating for a more inclusive and sustainable creative sector across the board.
In late 2024, a survey of a small group of artist-caregivers revealed notable patterns clearly: over half had missed opportunities because of parenting, nearly all reported financial strain, and formal support was rare. Yet these responses also offered a vision for change – from child-friendly residencies to funding models that recognise artistic labour, and how caregiving forms a part of this.
By listening to artist-parents, we are not only addressing a marginalised group – we are advocating for a more inclusive and sustainable creative sector across the board.
Artist-Parents as a Microcosm of Structural Inequality in the Art World
The conditions faced by artist-parents in South Africa offer a concentrated lens through which to examine broader inequalities embedded in the creative economy. In many ways, the exclusion, precarity, and structural disregard that artist-parents experience are not exceptional – but rather emblematic. They act as a microcosm or synecdoche, standing in for larger dynamics of artistic labour, inequitable access, and addressing the persistence of inherited privilege in the arts. This imbalance exists globally, but it is exacerbated here by South Africa’s standing as one of the most unequal societies in the world.
Artist-parents are often expected to participate in a system that does not account for their time, needs, or responsibilities. They are rarely compensated for the full scope of their labour, particularly the invisible and emotional work that caregiving demands. Opportunities are frequently designed around assumptions of total availability: late-night installations, weekend openings, last-minute residencies. When travel is involved, it typically requires separation from family – a barrier many cannot afford, emotionally or financially.
Artist-parents are often expected to participate in a system that does not account for their time, needs, or responsibilities. They are rarely compensated for the full scope of their labour, particularly the invisible and emotional work that caregiving demands. Opportunities are frequently designed around assumptions of total availability: late-night installations, weekend openings, last-minute residencies. When travel is involved, it typically requires separation from family – a barrier many cannot afford, emotionally or financially.
Although more vulnerable – with many unable to participate at all – these pressures are not unique to caregivers alone. They reflect a broader culture within the art world that prioritises flexibility, availability, and self-sufficiency – qualities that often presuppose inherited or accumulated wealth, or at least the absence of dependents. In the South African context, these expectations disproportionately marginalise those who do not come from wealth, and more often than not, those who are not white.
Thus, while the challenges faced by artist-parents may seem specific, they mirror structural problems that affect a much wider group. Addressing their needs – through funding models, inclusive residency formats, and family-friendly policies – offers an opportunity to push for systemic change that benefits a broader population of precarious cultural workers.
Thus, while the challenges faced by artist-parents may seem specific, they mirror structural problems that affect a much wider group. Addressing their needs – through funding models, inclusive residency formats, and family-friendly policies – offers an opportunity to push for systemic change that benefits a broader population of precarious cultural workers.
Findings from the Survey – Lived Realities of Artist-Parents
In November 2024, a survey was conducted with a small group of artist-parents or caregivers based in South Africa to better understand how caregiving responsibilities intersect with their artistic practices. Their responses provide not only evidence of exclusion but clear insights into the systemic conditions that reproduce inequality in the creative sector.
1. Exclusion from Opportunities
When asked if they had ever been excluded from an opportunity due to being a parent, 60% of respondents said yes, while others noted “maybe” – a reflection of how difficult it is to name these exclusions when they are deeply normalised.
“I was asked to exhibit at a well-known trade event… but I was 2 months postpartum and suffering from severe PPD. I thanked them and said I’d love to participate the next year. I never heard back.”
Even where direct exclusion was not cited, artists reported being passed over, doubted, or assumed to be unavailable.
“Sometimes people wait to place orders because they think you're too busy being a parent.”
1. Exclusion from Opportunities
When asked if they had ever been excluded from an opportunity due to being a parent, 60% of respondents said yes, while others noted “maybe” – a reflection of how difficult it is to name these exclusions when they are deeply normalised.
“I was asked to exhibit at a well-known trade event… but I was 2 months postpartum and suffering from severe PPD. I thanked them and said I’d love to participate the next year. I never heard back.”
Even where direct exclusion was not cited, artists reported being passed over, doubted, or assumed to be unavailable.
“Sometimes people wait to place orders because they think you're too busy being a parent.”
“I was asked to exhibit at a well-known trade event… but I was 2 months postpartum and suffering from severe PPD. I thanked them and said I’d love to participate the next year. I never heard back.”
“You’re expected to travel without your family, to be on-site in evenings, weekends, or with no lead time.”
2. Inflexible Structures
A common frustration among respondents was the rigidity of residencies, exhibitions, and deadlines — often designed for artists assumed to be mobile, child-free, and available at short notice.
“Residencies don't cater for family needs – including no funding for child care.”
“You’re expected to travel without your family, to be on-site in evenings, weekends, or with no lead time.”
“I was offered an opportunity to exhibit with less than 24 hours' notice, and couldn’t take it because I had no one to look after my child.”
Several participants noted that even when opportunities arose, they could not accept them due to caregiving responsibilities or lack of financial support for logistics like transport, printing, or accommodation.
A common frustration among respondents was the rigidity of residencies, exhibitions, and deadlines — often designed for artists assumed to be mobile, child-free, and available at short notice.
“Residencies don't cater for family needs – including no funding for child care.”
“You’re expected to travel without your family, to be on-site in evenings, weekends, or with no lead time.”
“I was offered an opportunity to exhibit with less than 24 hours' notice, and couldn’t take it because I had no one to look after my child.”
Several participants noted that even when opportunities arose, they could not accept them due to caregiving responsibilities or lack of financial support for logistics like transport, printing, or accommodation.
3. Financial and Emotional Toll
Nearly all respondents identified financial precarity as a key barrier, intensified by having to choose between the cost of artistic production and caregiving.
“I couldn’t afford to frame my work and had to pay my daughter’s fees… so I was cancelled out.”
“My only income comes from my art, and I have to choose between printing costs or school fees.”
Others described how the psychological burden of navigating parenthood in an unsupported industry led to burnout, self-censorship, or opting out entirely.
“Being a caregiver comes with a lot of pressure… the money doesn’t cover essentials, and no one factors that into the fees we get paid.”
Nearly all respondents identified financial precarity as a key barrier, intensified by having to choose between the cost of artistic production and caregiving.
“I couldn’t afford to frame my work and had to pay my daughter’s fees… so I was cancelled out.”
“My only income comes from my art, and I have to choose between printing costs or school fees.”
Others described how the psychological burden of navigating parenthood in an unsupported industry led to burnout, self-censorship, or opting out entirely.
“Being a caregiver comes with a lot of pressure… the money doesn’t cover essentials, and no one factors that into the fees we get paid.”
4. A Call for Structural Change
Respondents didn’t simply point to problems – they proposed solutions:
“Include caregiving in the application form – make it normal to state that you need support.”
“Have paid care. Adopt international standards of child-friendly spaces. That’s how caregivers start to feel considered.”
Respondents didn’t simply point to problems – they proposed solutions:
- Family-friendly residencies
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Child care support
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Clear recognition of artistic production AND caregiving as labour
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Peer support networks for parent-artists
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Funding mechanisms that separate material costs from caregiving needs
“Include caregiving in the application form – make it normal to state that you need support.”
“Have paid care. Adopt international standards of child-friendly spaces. That’s how caregivers start to feel considered.”
5. Inclusion is Uneven and Conditional
When asked how often they felt included in the art world, responses were primarily “never” or “sometimes”, with very few citing consistent inclusion. Those who did note support said it came through informal channels – other women artists, patient collaborators, or sympathetic curators – not systems or institutions.
When asked how often they felt included in the art world, responses were primarily “never” or “sometimes”, with very few citing consistent inclusion. Those who did note support said it came through informal channels – other women artists, patient collaborators, or sympathetic curators – not systems or institutions.
“I have benefited not because I’m a caregiver, but in spite of it.”
Why Artist-Mothers Bear the Brunt
While caregiving responsibilities affect all parents, the burden falls disproportionately on women – a reflection of broader gender inequality in South Africa’s labour market. Women continue to experience lower employment rates, greater financial precarity, and less access to formal work than men. As of 2023, only 69.4% of working-age women in South Africa were active in the labour force compared to 80% of men, and unemployment among women remains consistently higher.
Within South Africa, these dynamics are intensified by family structures where women overwhelmingly carry the responsibility for child-rearing, often alone.
Within South Africa, these dynamics are intensified by family structures where women overwhelmingly carry the responsibility for child-rearing, often alone.
According to the 2024 General Household Survey, 45.5% of children live with only their mothers, and fewer than one-third (31.4%) live with both biological parents, underscoring how commonplace single motherhood is in South Africa.*
For artist-mothers, these systemic pressures compound – the lack of subsidised childcare, inflexible opportunities, and expectations of constant availability often force them to opt out entirely. This reflects not only gendered exclusion in the creative economy but the broader economic reality that women’s labour — particularly when it involves care — is still undervalued and unsupported.
For artist-mothers, these systemic pressures compound – the lack of subsidised childcare, inflexible opportunities, and expectations of constant availability often force them to opt out entirely. This reflects not only gendered exclusion in the creative economy but the broader economic reality that women’s labour — particularly when it involves care — is still undervalued and unsupported.
*This is in contrast to single fathers, who are not mentioned in the survey, with 19% of children living with neither of their biological parents and about one-eighth of children (12.3%)
orphaned, having lost one or both parents
Conclusion
Conclusion
These stories reveal a system that rewards unconditional availability and punishes the need for flexibility. In addition, it very rarely acknowledges the need to compensate artists for their labour. Artist-parents face a compounded form of exclusion – one rooted in gender, class, and the legacy of who has historically had the means to participate fully in cultural production. Their experiences highlight a lingering and dire need for transformation in the creative sector if it is to become truly inclusive.
This takes us back to the research and work of British writer Hettie Judah, who heavily influenced this project. Judah interviewed around 60 artist mothers about their experiences in 2021, resulting in a manifesto, and ultimately a book titled How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers (and other parents). It presents a solutions-based approach on the subject, looking at benchmarks all over the world. Ultimately, Judah suggests that what the art industry risks by not taking intersectional contexts into consideration is remaining more homogeneous, precluding “participation by all but the wealthy and carefree”.