[Michael Fournier]

I am not shocked to hear that Male artist still get higher rates then Women although I am saddened by it.

I would say that Artist like Nelson Shanks, Everett Raymond Kinstler, Richard Schmid, John H. Sanden, Robert Bruce Williams make much higher rates then even Most other male artist and it may be still a hold over from years past as the top earners in the portrait and Art world are male artist that have been around a long time. (not to slight women who have been around as long I am just hoping that today's men are not continuing the old boy networks of the past)

But I also do not know what the stats are for artist of equal experience and age male vs female. and of course talent is a objective thing so although you would expect artists producing equally great work to get equal rates and sale price on the art market who judges the quality?.

Also who your clients (or collectors) are has a lot to do with how much you can charge and that all other things being equal has a lot to do your network and marketing. John H. Sanden, in his article about Robert Bruce Williams touched on this subject.

Also I do not want to get all philosophical or Freudian but we may find that even with just as many women reaching high level careers today as men that as humans it may still take many more years of evolution to shake the intrenched and outdated gender roles established over hundreds of years.
(not that the art world was ever exclusive to men)
It may also be years of evolution have prepared males to fight for what if not more then they deserve while women may just expect that they will be rightly compensated based on the work. I am not saying women do not fight for what they want but psychologists have done studies that have reveled some evidence to back this theory. These studies have also shown that it is not just overt sexual discrimination by men against women. As studies have been done that even in companies headed by female ceos, male executives still seem to get the higher salaries and move up that corporate ladder faster then women. Even when it is other women making the decisions on who gets hired and for how much.

I do not doubt that this is happening and I hope this ends soon (as my wife makes more then I do so I would love it if she would get recognized for her work and make even more) . But at least in one area of the Arts Women Rule and that is in the music recording industry. Artist like Lady gaga to Celine Dion are top earners.

I also think woman only shows IS NOT the answer as I feel making a distinction between male artist and female artist only works to strengthen possible prejudices between art created by men and that produced by women. In trying to promote women artist through these female only shows may in fact strengthen preconceived notions of value. Subconsciously it is kind of like saying that the art is good but only in context to other women
artist. Kind of like WNBA vs NBA sure those women can play some ball but they are no Lebron James. I do not share that perception (I hope I don't anyway) But I may on a Subconscious level be doing it as when I look back at the top Artist I mentioned I could not off the top of my head come up with a women to list as a contemporary of those male artist so maybe I too am as much at fault even though I do not want to be.