The glass ceiling is still in place in the cultural sector, with only 28% of organisations having a female chair of their board, though 47% have a female chief executive, and women account for 64% of the cultural workforce.
These figures have been revealed in new research from City University London, in association with the think-tank Demos. ‘Who Leads the UK Cultural Sector? A preliminary survey into gender and leadership’ questioned 121 organisations, including museums, funding bodies, theatres, and music, dance and arts venues, about the gender composition of their workforces at different levels of the organisation. The findings suggest an association between the presence of female chief executives or chairs and high levels of representation for women on senior management teams and boards. The research calls for a further investigation to establish the reasons for the widespread gender discrepancy, and whether female leaders are more likely to create organisational cultures conducive to women’s career mobility.