Women in the Museum: Lessons from the Workplace

Women in the Museum explores the professional lives of the sector’s female workforce today and examines the challenges they face working in what was, until recently, a male-dominated field. The number of women working in museum settings has grown exponentially since the start of the twentieth century. In doing so, it clarifies how women’s work in museums differs from men’s and reveals the entrenched nature of gender bias in the museum workplace. Offering a clear argument as to why museums must create, foster, and protect an equitable playing field, the authors incorporate a gender equity agenda for individuals, institutions, graduate programs, and professional associations.Written by experienced museum professionals, Women in the Museum is the first book to examine the topic in depth. Drawing on testimony gathered from surveys, focus groups,

Baldwin is co-founder of the Gender Equity in Museums Movement and a former museum director. Joan H. She has managed a number of museums across New York State and is co-author of LeadershipMatters (2013).. She is currently the Curator of Special Collections at The Hotchkiss School, USA, and is co-author of Leadership Matters (2013). Anne W. Ackerson is co-founder of the Gender Equity in Museums Movement and a former director of the Museum As

As established advocates of women in leadership positions, Baldwin and Ackerson provide concrete strategies for achieving gender equity across the profession."Paula J. I especially appreciate the candid view into the lives of real women, past and present, making vital contributions to all aspects of the museum workplace. Alas, they are alive and well, as is carefully delineated here with ample evidence by the authors. Brief histories of significant – if often forgotten – females in museum history, together with sometimes hair-raising accounts from current workers, will enlighten those committed to institutional inclusion."<