What Boards Should Know – AASLH

Editor’s Note: This is the third post in a series of posts written by members of the AASLH Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Task Force. You can read the previous posts in the series: Small Museums and Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment by Joan Baldwin, Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment and the All-Volunteer History Organization by Anne W. Ackerson

By Jennifer Van Haaften

In April 2022, AASLH and NCPH released a joint report on the findings of a year-long survey on gender discrimination and sexual harassment in history organizations and public history spheres. The original report can be found on AASLH’s website. Since the release of that report, AASLH put together a task force to address and compile resources to help history organizations begin the work of creating safe and inclusive workspaces. Seventy-six percent of the respondents reported experiencing gender discrimination and/or sexual harassment. History organizations should take this seriously.

As much as we like to think we’ve moved beyond discrimination and harassment, it is happening even as you read this post. Sessions at AASLH conferences still cover these issues, either directly or indirectly, especially in the case of when developing frontline staff training in dealing with visitors. Women still are not paid the equivalent to a man doing the same work, nor are they often the first choice for supervisory hires and promotions within and without history organizations.

A large majority of history organizations are small, nonprofit local historical societies and museums led by a local board of directors or trustees. Many of these boards are volunteers who joined because they liked history. But liking history is not enough for serving on a board. They need good orientation to be active and maintain public trust in the institution they help run. Board policies developed in order to head off potential issues not only maintain the public trust but can create a positive workplace. Boards are a key component of helping to change the work atmosphere to the best it can be. They are the first line of defense against sexual harassment and gender discrimination issues, and they should care about doing this responsibility well in addition to all their other responsibilities.

AASLH is working to get the tools needed to assist boards in educating their members. Though board members may not be regular consumers of AASLH material, executive directors and board chairs or presidents should take the lead in getting these materials to the rest of the board and staff. Members of the Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment (GDSH) Task Force for AASLH used their volunteered time to develop the rubric found in Technical Leaflet 303 Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Policy Rubric. The task force members have experience with helping boards develop policy and procedure, as well as long experience as museum leaders themselves. They worked together to bring a number of resources into one place so that boards and museum staff can find it and use it. The rubric in the leaflet is a good way for a board to measure where they are in developing policy to prevent and deal with sexual harassment and gender discrimination and shows them where they should aim to be.

One of the issues that allows these problems to continue is the fact that boards are not educated to understand or see these issues in their organization. It often falls to a lone paid staff person to bring this to the attention of their board, and it can be an uncomfortable topic to bring up. However, it is probably easier to bring up the idea that policies need to be put into place rather than having to deal with an actual incident without the policies in place. Boards should make it a priority to have their members read through the original GDSH survey report and to read through the Policy Rubric to determine where they stand in their policy development performance. Then boards should prioritize the next steps to create policies that help them overcome GDSH issues. They should not forget to consult legal counsel and/or HR professional consultants to assist with the legal requirements and standards.

It is important to keep an open mind while reading the survey and articles about discrimination and harassment. Boards should also consider their own biases and examine their hiring and compensation practices and the environment their front-line staff is working in. An excellent online workplace bias discussion starter, 50 Ways to Fight Bias, is provided by the Lean In organization. This offers a workshop type setting where the board group can consider scenarios that their employees might face or that people face in the workplace in general. They are developed with the private sector in mind, but thinking about the issues across types of workplace helps people to see the bigger picture. Additional resources for combating gender discrimination include the Gender Equity in Museums Movement website and Facebook page, the Leadership Matters website and book, and the Incluseum website, which covers discrimination in all its forms and how to create an inclusive museum atmosphere.

Once the board and the executive director have read through these tools and started to make stronger policies, these policies will only work if you evaluate how your organization and board is functioning. Just like employee evaluations and evaluating the executive director, a board should do a self-evaluation of how they are functioning as a board and look at areas where you can improve. Interestingly, the rise of 360-degree evaluations, meaning feedback is gathered from multiple sources, suggests that boards should consider feedback from their staff, their visitors, and the community at large, as well as perhaps suggestion from each board member about what could be better. Considering multiple points of view strengthens the idea of being open to learning and improvement across all areas boards are responsible. Being open to improving your performance as a board and board members will strengthen your relationship with your employees, your donors, and your community.

Boards have the power to change our institutions and making the conscious decision to improve the history workplace will make our institutions more inclusive inside and out. Gender discrimination and sexual harassment policies are just the beginning to address inequity of and safety within the history organization. Boards should understand their actions and choices have repercussions within the community. Museums are some of the most trusted institutions in the United States, therefore, the example they set has power to change the community in which they reside. Changing our institutions will help to change our society for the better.

Note: The information provided in this post is for informational purposes only based on the author’s experiences and should not be construed as legal advice. Please consult with an attorney regarding your specific situation.

Jennifer Van Haaften is the Assistant Director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. She is a member of AASLH’s Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Task Force.