National Portfolio museums are becoming more diverse, ACE report finds

Arts Council England’s (ACE) new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Review 2018-2023 has found a rise in the proportion of the workforce who are Black, Asian and ethnically diverse, disabled or LGBTQIA+ in National Portfolio-funded organisations.

The review used data provided by 661 National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) over the past five years.

For museums, the report found that:

• 48% of the workforce were women in 2022/23, down from 55% in 2018/19. This compares with 47% of the wider National Portfolio workforce in 2022/23 and 50% of the working age population according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ACE report also shows that 64% of audiences to National Portfolio museums were women in 2022/23 up from 57% in 2018/19.
• 7% of the workforce were Black, Asian or ethnically diverse in 2022/23, up from 6% in 2018/19. This compares with 15% of the wider National Portfolio workforce in 2022/23 and 18% of the working age population according to the ONS. The arts council report also shows that 8% of audiences to National Portfolio museums were Black, Asian and ethnically diverse in 2022/23, unchanged from 2018/19.
• 9% of the workforce identified as disabled in 2022/23, up from 7% in 2018/19. This compares with 9% of the wider National Portfolio workforce in 2022/23 and 22% of the working age population according to the ONS. The ACE report also shows that 9% of audiences to National Portfolio museums were disabled people in 2022/23 up from 8% in 2018/19.
• 7% of the workforce identified as LGBTQIA+ in 2022/23, up from 5% in 2018/19. This compares with 12% of the wider National Portfolio workforce in 2022/23 and 4% of the working age population according to the ONS. The ACE report did not include what proportion of audiences to National Portfolio museums identified as LGBTQIA+.

ACE’s report also looked at the socio-economic background of workers by asking individuals what type of job the highest earner in their household was doing when they were 14 years old.

In 2022/23, the greatest proportion of the National Portfolio workforce were from a household where the highest earner worked in modern professional occupations.

The report found a significant improvement in the diversity of the workforce at leadership level across NPOs:

• 58% of chief executives or equivalent were women in 2022/23, up from 40% in 2018/19
• 20% of chief executives or equivalent were Black, Asian and ethnically diverse in 2022/23, up from 10% in 2018/19.
• 20% of chief executives or equivalent were disabled in 2022/23, up from 10% in 2018/19.
• 20% of chief executives or equivalent were LGBTQIA+ in 2022/23, up from 10% in 2018/19.

The arts council also included data on its own workforce:

• In 2018/19, 66% of the ACE workforce were women compared with 68.3% in 2022/23.
• In 2018/19, 11% of the ACE workforce were Black, Asian and ethnically diverse compared with 12.4% in 2022/23.
• In 2018/19, 7% of the ACE workforce were disabled compared with 12% in 2022/23.
• In 2018/19, 14% of the ACE workforce were LGBTQIA+ compared with 19.2% in 2022/23.

ACE’s gender pay gap showed a median pay gap of 4.7% and a mean pay gap of 8.4% in March 2023.

In March 2023, both the mean and median ethnicity pay gaps were negative, meaning that the average pay for Black, Asian and ethnically diverse staff was higher than for white British and European staff.

In his foreword to the report, arts council chair Nicholas Serota said the changes it showed are “profound, particularly in the context of the range of challenges from the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis”.

He added: “We must nevertheless try harder to understand and remove the barriers that people face when trying to forge a career in the arts.”

In a blog exploring the figures, ACE’s director of diversity Abid Hussain said: “There’s no question that our sector faces challenges and uncertainties, but I’m optimistic about the future – and the information in this report is a large part of the reason why.

“Ten years ago, when we launched that first Equality, Diversity and the Creative Case report, we talked about our ambitions for change.

“Today’s report makes clear that that change is well and truly underway – and as a result, we’re reaping the benefits of a more representative and inclusive arts and cultural sector that draws on talent from communities across England.”