Study Examines the Gender Pay Gap for Art Museum Directors

The Association of Art Museum Directors and the National Center for Arts Research at Southern Methodist University in Dallas have released a new report examining the gender gap in director positions and compensation at American art museums.

The data shows that in 2016 women were 48 percent of all art museum directors, up from 43 percent in 2013. At museums with a budget of less than $15 million, women make up 54 percent of all directors. But at museums with a budget of more than $15 million, men are 70 percent of all directors. There was only one woman director at the 13 art museums with the largest budgets. Women make up 60 percent of the directors of art museums on college and university campuses.

At museums with operating budgets of $15 million or more, women directors earned 75 cents on average for every dollar earned by male directors in 2016. At art museums with a budget of less than $15 million, women directors earned 98 percent of the salaries earned by male directors.

The full report, The Ongoing Gender Gap in Art Museum Directorships, may be downloaded by clicking here.