Workforce

Working with Royal Holloway University* we have developed tools to help you tackle class inequality within your museum workforce. These are based on the research of Dr Sam Evans and insights from our joint project with Birmingham Museums Trust (BMT).

Model of Change

Our project with BMT

In 2024-2026 we worked with Birmingham Museums Trust to help address class inequality. Find out what we did and learnt.

Our project with BMT

Model for Change

Addressing class - and any other form of - inequality within the workforce requires organisational commitment and change. This is because most organisations are unequal, even if that is not their intention.

A photograph showing two women presenting an event to around thirty people.

What’s it like trying to tackle class inequality?

BMT staff talk about the challenges of tackling class inequality and provide some advice at the Museum & Heritage Show 2026.

An illustration showing three women working around a desk

What is class inequality?

Based on Dr Sam Evans’s research this provides an overview of three types of class inequality within museum work, and the reasons they persist.

An illustration showing the exterior of Birmingham Museum with two figures in the fountain

Checklist: how class inclusive is your museum?

Find out how your museum might be contributing to, or challenging, the problem of class inequality.

An illustration showing a man and woman working on an action plan

Example action plan

See the actions that BMT has planned to tackle class inequality.

Want more help? 

Check out the Resources or Organisations pages or contact Museum as Muck for advice.

What’s the academic research and evidence? 

Dr Sam Evans studied class inequality within UK museum work, through interviews, focus groups and secondary data analysis. You can read her publications (they are all free to read) or get in touch with her to discuss these ideas further. She is happy to come and talk to your organisation too.   

  • Evans, S. and Whiting, R. (2026). (In production) Open to all? Examining class inequality in UK museum work through Bourdieu’s field-logics and the construction of ‘ideal’ career norms. Work, Employment & Society
  • Evans, S., & Whiting, R. (2025). Everyday Constructions of Class-Based Inequality: Field Effects in UK Museum Work. Sociology, 59(2), 363-379. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385241289729
  • Evans, S, Whiting, R. and Mackenzie-Davey, K. (2021) Struggling for distinction; Classing as discursive process in UK museum work. Gender, Work & Organization. 28 (3), pp 992-1007 https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12433
  • Evans, S, 2020. Struggles for distinction: Class and classed inequality in UK museum work. Thesis. Birkbeck University https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/46203/

Supported by Royal Holloway, University of London

This project and resources are funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, via the Social Science Impact Accelerator Fund, at Royal Holloway University of London. The copyright for the infographics and Model for Change tools are owned by Royal Holloway University of London and can be used under the creative commons CC BY-NC-ND licence. 

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