Arts Council England (ACE) wants to understand class and social mobility in the cultural workforce. If this is to be achieved, more attention should be paid to how the sector talks about class and social mobility, particularly as new ways to measure it are introduced. Furthermore, we need to understand how personal data of all kinds are collected, valued, used and reported across the cultural sector. The work presented here is independent academic research from Dr Susan Oman’s Fellowships in ‘Good Data, Diversity and Inequality in the Creative Economy’ at the Universities of Leeds and Sheffield. This working paper summarises and updates reports to ACE in July and December 2018, and presents context, workings, findings and recommendations to help the cultural sector understand how it might begin monitoring class inequality and revisit its data collection practices.
Part 1 summarises the research methodology, findings and recommendations. Three overarching recommendations offer indications on how social mobility metrics might work in ACE-funded organisations and the broader sector. These are:
1. Any questions on social mobility should follow Cabinet Office guidelines as closely as possible.
2. ACE and the cultural sector should work together to establish social mobility measures and understand
how the components of someone’s social origins intersect with other aspects of inequality.
3. ACE and the cultural sector should co-produce formal guidance on good practice when collecting and monitoring data on protected characteristics. This should include guidance for organisations to
communicate the rationale behind the questions to staff and offer assistance to ease responding.
Part 2 of the working paper begins by setting out the context for this research, informed by an overview of sector and wider work on social mobility and a short literature review. This reflects ongoing work in different areas of the arts – and beyond – to reveal how ACE and the cultural sector can not only begin work in the area but contribute to the broader knowledge base. The working paper then sets out a two-phased methodological approach, which provides a bridge into the presentation and discussion of key findings to inform work in areas related to data, diversity and policy across the sector.
The findings aim to inform knowledge and processes related to data and inequality inside ACE and across the sector. They also aim to avoid exacerbating existing issues for those answering survey questions related to their protected characteristics, for National Portfolio Organisation (NPO)1 staff returning data to ACE, and for staff within ACE itself. The appendices can be used for reference and as additional information when reading this working paper and when beginning monitoring work.
This working paper presents independent academic research. All discussions remain confidential and are only partially shared as evidence in such a way that no individual person or organisation’s identity would be revealed.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)