Equality, Diversity and the Creative Case

Equality, Diversity and the Creative Case

By Arts Council England

SUMMARY

The fourth and final report looking at equality and diversity across Arts Council England's  2015 -2018 portfolio of funded organisations. The data covers the 663 arts organisations and 21 museums in ACE's national portfolio

The diversity data gathered in our annual survey is not an exercise in box ticking. It discloses the success or failure of the arts and culture sector to take seriously the challenge we all face as a society. In some respects there are improvements; in others we are still treading water. In all areas, we intend to do more.

Sir Nicolas Serota CH, Chair, Arts Council England

Key findings:

  • A slight rise in the BME workforce, up to 12% from 10% over two years. That compares to a BME figure of 16% in the UK working population and nearer to 40% in London. Only 5% of staff at major partner museums are not white, “a longstanding issue which urgently needs addressing”, the report says.
  • The total percentage of disabled workers across the national portfolio has increased from 4% to 5% and is static at 4% for museums. That is despite 20% of adults in England identified as having a work-limiting disability.
  • The female workforce in the national portfolio has fallen from 55% in 2015 to 50% but ACE says the gender data reflects a fall in “unknown” responses. The number of female chief executives has risen from 40% to 51% over the last three years, and female artistic directors are up from 28% to 46%
  • For audiences the data remains static with the social grade profile of audiences at National Portfolio ticketed and non-ticketed events remaining almost identical year on year.

Read the full report 

 

Resource type: Research | Published: 2019