National Portfolio museums are becoming more diverse, ACE report finds

This article was first published by Museums Journal.

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.
  • 7% of the workforce were Black, Asian or ethnically diverse in 2022/23, up from 6% in 2018/19.
  • 9% of the workforce identified as disabled in 2022/23, up from 7% in 2018/19.
  • 7% of the workforce identified as LGBTQIA+ in 2022/23, up from 5% in 2018/19. 

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.