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The arts world must make room for more women at the top The arts world must make room for more women at the top
(6 months later)
The arrival of Tony Hall as director general of the BBC next week will undoubtedly be welcomed by many at the corporation, eager to turn a page on a seismic period in its history. However, another aspect of Hall's appointment is that it reinforces the long-standing monopoly that white males have over our many major cultural institutions.The arrival of Tony Hall as director general of the BBC next week will undoubtedly be welcomed by many at the corporation, eager to turn a page on a seismic period in its history. However, another aspect of Hall's appointment is that it reinforces the long-standing monopoly that white males have over our many major cultural institutions.
The National Theatre, Opera North, the Baltic Centre and Sadler's Wells are among the many organisations that have proved impervious to the attractions of female leadership. Why should that be the case and does it matter? It matters because a diverse society should see itself mirrored in all aspects of its public life. In doing so, it widens the pool of talent and draws fully on the experiences and richness of resources that such diversity has to offer. Susannah Clapp, writing in the Observer, points out that it took a female head of BBC2, the talented Janice Hadlow, to spot the age-resistant abilities of Mary Beard, Mary Berry and Amanda Vickery. Jude Kelly, one of the few female arts heads, recently staged the Women of the World festival at London's South Bank to great acclaim. A man might have had a similar creative inclination, but it's likely that he would have different interests. Both agendas are equally valid.The National Theatre, Opera North, the Baltic Centre and Sadler's Wells are among the many organisations that have proved impervious to the attractions of female leadership. Why should that be the case and does it matter? It matters because a diverse society should see itself mirrored in all aspects of its public life. In doing so, it widens the pool of talent and draws fully on the experiences and richness of resources that such diversity has to offer. Susannah Clapp, writing in the Observer, points out that it took a female head of BBC2, the talented Janice Hadlow, to spot the age-resistant abilities of Mary Beard, Mary Berry and Amanda Vickery. Jude Kelly, one of the few female arts heads, recently staged the Women of the World festival at London's South Bank to great acclaim. A man might have had a similar creative inclination, but it's likely that he would have different interests. Both agendas are equally valid.
It also matters because women have different styles of talent spotting and leadership. A recent article in the American Journal of Political Science says that because women are in the minority, in this case in US politics, they work harder to build alliances, "while men may choose to obstruct and delay".It also matters because women have different styles of talent spotting and leadership. A recent article in the American Journal of Political Science says that because women are in the minority, in this case in US politics, they work harder to build alliances, "while men may choose to obstruct and delay".
Defenders of the traditional system say too few young women stay the course. Working conditions, a dearth of opportunities and family matters mean they drop away. In an industry bursting with creativity and imagination, it surely cannot be beyond the wit of the sector to make the kind of changes that minimises the barriers and reaches out energetically for the brightest and the best, regardless of gender, creed or colour?Defenders of the traditional system say too few young women stay the course. Working conditions, a dearth of opportunities and family matters mean they drop away. In an industry bursting with creativity and imagination, it surely cannot be beyond the wit of the sector to make the kind of changes that minimises the barriers and reaches out energetically for the brightest and the best, regardless of gender, creed or colour?
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