Why are there more women in painting classes? And what does that say of the few men who take painting classes?

I am often asked by men in my oil painting classes, why are there more women than men? And here are some results of studies that address the topic. And below are studies that have addressed why men take painting classes.

(The studies addressed only traditional "men" and "women", not the fluidity between genders).

Why do women take painting classes?

1. Emotional Expression and Stress Relief
Painting is often pursued for emotional release, mindfulness, or personal reflection.

• Women, on average, are more socially encouraged to process emotions through expression like writing, talking, or creating.
• Men, by contrast, are often taught to manage emotions through action or distraction (e.g., sports, gaming, or practical projects).
• So painting fits comfortably into the ways women are socialized to manage feeling and meaning.

2. Cultural Framing of “Appropriate” Leisure
Society subtly signals which hobbies are “feminine” or “masculine.”

• Activities emphasizing aesthetic sensibility, introspection, and beauty like painting, floral design, or decorating are seen as more feminine.
• Hobbies emphasizing competition, mechanics, or mastery of tools like woodworking, car restoration, or sports are seen as more masculine.
• Painting, particularly non-competitive painting, lands squarely in the “feminine-coded” zone.

3. Aesthetic Orientation
Women tend to have a stronger interest in environments that involve aesthetics and visual harmony like interior design, clothing, and decor, which naturally aligns with painting.
That doesn’t mean men lack visual sense, but men often express it through design linked to utility.
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4. Time and Social Networks
Women are more likely to participate in community and social hobbies that foster connection and calm, such as group painting classes. Men’s leisure networks tend to center more on shared activity (sports, games, projects) than introspective or artistic collaboration.

5. Identity and Self-Care
In recent decades, painting has been reframed in popular culture as a form of self-care and mindfulness.​

Why do men take painting classes?

1. Comfort with Emotional Expression
Painting requires a willingness to engage with feeling, ambiguity, and aesthetic experience, all of which many men are socialized to downplay. So a man who paints as a hobby is often more emotionally self-aware or comfortable exploring the inner world. He may have an above-average capacity for reflection, empathy, or sensitivity to beauty.

2. Independence from Social Expectations
Men who paint for pleasure are often confident in their individuality and less concerned about fitting into traditional masculine roles. That independence signals psychological maturity and self-assurance. They’re pursuing what feels meaningful, not what’s expected.

3. Cognitive and Sensory Strengths
Painting draws on visual-spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, and hand–eye coordination, traits that are not gender-specific, but men who paint often find joy in the problem-solving and design aspects of visual creation. They may think analytically and aesthetically — a rare blend.

4. Appreciation for Process over Outcome
Painting as a hobby often appeals to men who value craftsmanship and the meditative rhythm of work, similar to woodworking, music, or model building. They may enjoy getting “in the zone”, a focused, almost meditative flow state where thinking quiets and making takes over.

5. Broader Emotional Range
Men who paint tend to be more comfortable with ambiguity, nuance, and subtlety, qualities that help in relationships, leadership, and personal growth. In research terms, they often show higher levels of openness to experience, one of the Big Five personality traits correlated with artistic engagement.

6. Balance and Self-Regulation
Many male painters describe the hobby as a counterbalance to work stress or rational overdrive, a way to access intuition and calm.