No doubt, female role models are able to inspire girls to pursue their talents, but systemic discrimination is difficult to change. Everywhere in the world, it remains much more difficult for women than men to gain recognition and acclaim for their work in the creative professions.19 But measures can be taken, for example in Sweden where a report from the Swedish Film Institute 2021/202220 revealed that female directors received more support in developing film projects than their male colleagues. No doubt #MeToo has been crucial in changing (and enforcing existing efforts) policies and practices in several countries. In Finland, the Ministry of Education and Culture provides financial support in the fields of theatre and film, including practical measures to prevent harassment and support for employers’ rights and obligations. A 2018 report commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture led to new guidelines for inclusion – which might include anything from gender-specific training courses to equality plans in funding applications. Within the UN System UNESCO as well as the mandate holders of the Special Rapporteur in the field of culture have actively promoted and discussed gender issues related to the arts and culture sector. Thus, issues surrounding women/gender rights are addressed in several reports from Special Rapporteurs as well as in a report from 2012 specifically addressing “the enjoyment of cultural rights by women on an equal basis.”21 The report underlines the right of women to have access to, participate in, and contribute to all aspects of cultural life. This, according to the SR: “encompasses their right to actively engage in identifying and interpreting cultural heritage and to decide which cultural traditions, values or practices are to be kept, reoriented, modified or discarded. Gender, culture and rights intersect in intricate and complex ways, and cultural rights must be understood as also relating to who in the community holds the power to define its collective identity. The reality of intracommunity diversity makes it imperative to ensure that all voices within a community, including those that represent the interests, desires and perspectives of specific groups, are heard, without discrimination.” The former UN Special Rapporteur, Farida Shaheed stressed that: “cultural rights must be understood as also relating to who in the community holds the power to define its collective identity. Preserving the existence and cohesion of a specific cultural community should not be achieved to the detriment of part of its members.” In the report, the Special Rapporteur stressed that ensuring the equal enjoyment of cultural rights is an effective way to avoid cultural arguments being used as an obstacle to the full realization of women's rights. 19 https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380474 20 https://www.filminstitutet.se/globalassets/2.-fa-kunskap-om-film/analys-och-statistik/publikationer/jamstalldhet/jamstallhetsrapport21-22.pdf 21 https://undocs.org/en/A/67/287 24