Hi Jill and others,

I appreciate the commentary submitted to date, and expect there are
countless others who many contribute their thoughts on the issue.  I
have seen these two themes repeated:

(1) Men are in higher-status positions; women are in lower-status
positions; and,
(2) Museums pay poorly, so single people and married women take these
jobs.

I, as a single guy, have chosen to pursue a career in museums.  I am
perfectly satisfied to start - where I've started - almost at the
bottom.  But, at some point, I'd like to shift into a more satisfying
entry-level job from where I might move upward in 'baby steps'.

>  Dear Jay:
> A couple of observations:
> 1. Examine *where* the men are in the staff; the majority of
> museum directors are male.  The vast majority. (I'm sure
> someone out there from AAM knows the figure - are we up
> to 10% female directors yet?)  Males tend to be concentrated
> at the top end of the power/pay scale.

Yes, this is true based on my perceptions.  However - and this is the
key, about which nobody has commented: How does a man make it NOT as a
director, but as Joe Average?  LOL!  I'm not aiming to go from zero to
director.  I'm in an entry-level-ish kind of job . . . but not doing
what I want to be doing.  So, how do I go about shifting into an
entry-level job I would find more satisfying when everyone in the museum
community seems infected with the notion that such jobs are for women?

I abhor gender- and sexually-based stereotyping, and I don't care if
someone thinks less of me for taking 'baby steps' in my professional
development.  After all, an BA and MA means you've learned something -
but not everything!

> 2. Most low-paying, low-status professions are inhabited
> primarily by women, from nursing to teaching to museum
> work.  Probably the only museum positions which carry
> social status are director and curator; I'd bet dollars to
> donuts that you'll find quite different gender ratios in
> those jobs than in all of museums.

And so, what about those men who don't give a rip about getting a cushy
high-status job?

Whatever "averages" and "norms" exist, exist because people perpetuate
them . . . and have an impact on individuals.  I'm an individual who
feels trapped - and offended by - this seemingly traditional perception
that men go after high-paying, high-status museums jobs (such as
director and curator) as if blind to the reality of qualifications,
experience and seniority.

> In conclusion, it is my firm belief you are not at a
> disadvantage due to your gender.

As I've indicated above, I believe I am at a disadvantage because I'm
NOT aiming for instant promotion to "director" or "curator" status.  I'm
aiming for one of those "low-paying, low-status" entry-level jobs from
which I might take a small step up . . . and a few years later another
small step up, etc.

[Obviously, I'm setting aside for the moment the main, nefarious factor
in hiring: "Who you know, not what you know."  As I know nobody, it has
negative influence on my chances.  Sad, but true.  Can you tell I'm
experiencing a "blue funk" and increasingly disillusionment?  For unlike
the recent graduate who write in "I need a job," I'm fast becoming a
seasoned veteran with no clue about how to get where I want to go.]

Sincerely,
Jay Heuman

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