29.10.2026
I have worked in several museums and art galleries for over four years. And as a British Asian, I have seen how there aren’t many of us in professional positions and I have been frustrated myself in my career ambitions despite being ambitious, despite having more qualifications than anyone else there, as someone holding five degrees, a PhD and being a published academic author with experience in curatorial and interpretation departments. Why? Instead of sharing my own experiences of how it works for us in these environments, which would be regarded by readers as subjective and biased, let’s look at the objective facts.
According to a 2024 heritage workforce report, the overall UK heritage and culture sector remains 90% White. Arts Council England reports indicate that museums have the lowest level of ethnic diversity across all cultural disciplines, with only 6% to 7% of workers identifying as Black, Asian, or ethnically diverse. Research by Create and the Art Fund highlights that curatorial and collection-based roles suffer the worst underrepresentation. Only 2.7% of workers in UK museums, galleries, and libraries are from minority-ethnic backgrounds, with the few diverse staff members often concentrated in entry-level, operational, or customer-facing support roles rather than leadership.
Audiences recognise this workforce disparity which is mirrored in audience engagement. The 2025/26 Community and Engagement Survey shows that only 39% of British Indian adults physically visited a museum or gallery in the past year, compared to significantly higher national averages, though 21% engaged with museum services digitally.
Why is this the case? Museum careers in the UK are notorious for low starting salaries and a historical reliance on unadvertised, unpaid internships or long-term volunteering to “get a foot in the door”. In our culture, we are expected to bring home money, so this unpaid labor or low-wage stability is financially unviable for us.
Prejudice also exists. Socioeconomic data reveals a severe class imbalance in the arts. Around 60% of culture and heritage workers come from upper-middle-class backgrounds where the primary earner held a managerial or professional role. Recruitment in museums has historically been “risk-averse” and reliant on elite academic networks, making it difficult for minority candidates without these multi-generational industry connections to break through.
A major hurdle is the lack of visible role models. When British Indian students look at university history departments and museum curatorial boards, they see almost entirely White staff. This absence creates a cycle: because young British Indians do not see themselves reflected in museum staff, they do not view it as a welcoming or realistic career choice.
Again, there is the impact of ongoing colonialism. For some members of the British Indian diaspora, UK museums—particularly institutions housing colonial-era acquisitions like the British Museum—can feel alienating. The ongoing, tense public debates surrounding stolen artefacts, repatriation, and how South Asian colonial history is framed can make the institutional culture feel uncomfortable or structurally resistant to authentic British Asian perspectives.
So if you’re wondering why you don’t see us in the professional positions in the museum, these are the reasons that are backed up by the statistics. Museums and art galleries, do better for us. Be fair.
