Matthew, I don't think the explanation will be simple or innocent.

At a museum or historic site with multiple staff members a single male
visitor should pose no problem for a female staff member.

But imagine the situation as it exists at a number of small historic
sites, sometimes in isolated settings, where the only person on-site is
the female staff person.

Then you are dealing with two issues:  perceived danger or discomfort,
and actual safety issues.

The part that is not simple or innocent is the fear that some women have
- that we probably have all experienced in certain situations. We've
been taught not to go out alone at night, to walk with our keys in our
hands, and to avoid being alone with a stranger.

That leads to the perceived danger or discomfort of being in an isolated
setting with a male stranger.

We have this situation at one of my sites. We deal with it by offering a
portable panic button the staff person can carry that will trigger the
alarm. We also strongly encourage the staff person to listen to her
instincts. All visitors must be admitted through a locked door, and the
staff person knows we will back her up at any time she feels that a
visitor should not be admitted (with a simple "I'm sorry, we're closing
early" through the door.)

We also have a very good relationship with the local police who know the
staffing situation, and enjoy using our parking lot as a location to sit
in the squad car and do their paperwork.

In 20 years we have had only one unusual incident, and it involved a
solo male who started making repeated visits. We believe he was simply a
"history groupie" but it made our staff person very uncomfortable, so we
had another (male) staff member there with her several days, and
politely refused him entry.

Every year we re-visit this staffing situation. I am interested in
hearing other perspectives on this issue.


Cindy Boyer
Director of Museums and Education
The Landmark Society of Western New York
Rochester, NY
(585) 546-7029 x12
[log in to unmask]

www.landmarksociety.org

Our mission is to discover, protect, and revitalize the architectural
and related cultural heritage of the Rochester region, and to
educate and inform our community about that heritage.


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Matthew White
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 7:42 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Men on walk-in tours

I agree. I am curious why a single male visitor would pose a problem to
women staffers.

As a male museum visitor who is more frequently alone than not, I am on
the verge of being offended by your assertion. I am reserving my umbrage
for a more complete explanation. I am sure there is a simple, innocent
explanation.

But to answer your question, yes. I have noticed male visitors are more
likely alone. But then I have tradtionally worked in museums of industry
and technology, so I am hardly a representative sample. My current
institution is currently crunching just those numbers, so  I will get
back to you. I am sure someone has done a study to determine if this is
true and if so why. I would start with a work of popular social science
called "Bowling Alone," and move on from there.

Matthew White
Director, Hands On Science Center
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution



-----Original Message-----
>From: Candace Perry <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Dec 11, 2006 5:12 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Men on walk-in tours
>
>Forgive me for being dense, but are you asking this from a security
>standpoint, or something else?
>Candace Perry
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
>Behalf Of Rizzo, Mary
>Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 4:41 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Men on walk-in tours
>
>
>Dear List Members:
>
>I'm curious about your experiences.. At all the museums I've worked at
>(all in New Jersey) I can only think of one instance where a solitary
>woman came for a 'walk-in' or unreserved tour. Women come in pairs or
>groups, but hardly ever alone. Men, however, come in regularly by
>themselves, which can pose an interesting problem as a great deal of
>museum staffers are women. I can pose some possible reasons for this,
>but I was wondering if all of you have had the same experiences or
>whether a study has been done about single male v. single female
>visitation.
>
>Just curious!
>
>Mary Rizzo
>
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