Maruja De Villa Lorica
Paper written Fall 2008
Introduction
This paper a) explores some gender issues and stereotypes in the library and information science (LIS) profession, b) defines some terms to enhance understanding of these issues, c) presents researches and articles that examine gender issues and stereotypes as they relate to LIS, and, d) provides some affirmative actions and initiatives to address gender concerns.
Definition of Terms
Glass ceiling refers to an invisible barrier that prevents women from breaking through or reaching the peak of their professions. It is defined demographically by documenting the dearth of women “at the top” (J. C. Williams, 2004). Maternal wall refers to a barrier that that blocks women’s career by their decision to have children. Like the glass ceiling, maternal wall is documented demographically by showing the dearth of mothers in desirable (faculty) jobs (J. C. Williams).
Glass escalator, on the other hand, refers to an invisible pressure for men to move up in their professions. Hultin (2004) defines glass escalator as the upwardly mobile career path of men working in typically female occupations that equally qualified women can hardly enjoy in such occupations.
Gender stereotyping is a generalized perception or image by a group of people towards another group that can lead to false assumptions, negative impressions or discrimination.
Female Librarian’s Glass Ceiling and Maternal Wall
According to the Library Journal Placements and Salaries Survey 2008 reported by Maatta (2008, ¶ 2), women make up 80% of the new members of the LIS workforce. Women comprise 72.9% in academic libraries, 68.9% in government libraries and 67.4% in other agencies and organizations while dominating the school library media positions (93.9%).
However, compared to women’s over-all representation in the library science profession, the proportion of women in upper-level management positions in libraries is low (Voelck, 2003, p. 394). Voelck adds that while librarianship is a women-dominated profession, glass ceiling persists. Men often occupy the highest level decision-making administrative positions and tend to predominate in top-level administrative positions in larger public libraries and in large, academic libraries.
Likewise, the issue of salary gap between male- and female librarians continues to exist (Sverdlin, 2008). Maatta (¶ 1) further reports that the average yearly salary for female librarians is $ 41,731 while male librarian’s average salary is $45,192. Several authors suggest that this can be attributed to maternal wall; women have less earning power due to situations such as less seniority or fewer work hours as a result of child care responsibilities which tend to fall on women (Anderson, n.d.; J. C. Williams, 2004).
An interesting finding by Voelck (pp. 400-401) gives the implication that it may be difficult for women to balance the high demands of work and family. In her study on gender-based differences in management styles of academic library managers, she found that male and female respondents were remarkably similar in demographic and personal characteristics except on marital status. Of the females, 46.7% were single, 33.3% married, and 20% divorced. Thus, more than one-half (66.7%) were unmarried. However, only one of the 13 male respondents was single, the rest of the respondents, (92%) were married, although one said he is separated.
Male Librarian Stereotypes and Glass Escalator
Piper and Collamer (2001, p. 406) state that men in the library profession are in a complex situation. They experience stereotyping, invisibility, and even discrimination (Gatly, 2004; Gordon, 2004; C. Williams, 1992). Stereotypes of librarians in popular culture have resulted in many male librarians feeling limited or even ostracized as a result of their occupational title.
Male librarians encounter negative stereotypes when they come into contact with clients and people outside of work. They often experience stereotypes that they are gay or asexual or that they are unable to get a better job. Men who work with children may be thought to be pedophiles (C. Williams).
They also feel tension as minority members of a female dominated profession (Gordon, ¶ 7). They feel “invisible”, mainly due to the perception of librarianship as "women's work", male librarianship goes unrecognized, and "male" issues on the job are largely ignored (Gatley, p. 5).
Some male librarians also experience the escalator effect, where “men are pushed into managerial positions against their will” (C. Williams). Some men are "tracked" into areas within their professions which are considered more legitimate for men, such as being pushed into administration when they are much more interested in research and service-oriented jobs (C. Williams).
Librarian Stereotyping in Books
Another gender issue in LIS is librarian stereotyping in books. Peresie and Alexander (2005) examined whether portrayal of librarians in young adult literature supports or rejects the negative librarian stereotyping through content analysis of young adult fiction books.
They found that overall, among the young adult books reviewed, librarians were portrayed in a “more negative or neutral light”. Some of the librarian characters were made fun of or ridiculed by the students and often depicted as having no life outside of the library. Thirteen of the seventeen librarians (76 %) portrayed in the stories were female, which reinforce the general stereotype that librarianship is a feminized profession.
Affirmative Actions and Initiatives
While much remains to be done, gender and stereotyping have been recognized as relevant and legitimate issues in LIS through research and scholarly discussions.
Ingold (2007) cites efforts and initiatives to empower women and men in the library profession and their patrons. For example, academic libraries allocated budget lines for acquiring new works of feminist scholarship, designated subject liaisons to emerging women's studies programs, and some established separate libraries or reading rooms on gender studies. Likewise, youth librarians made it a point to acquire materials and generate programs that would appeal to girls as well as boys. Anderson (n.d.) also states that gender awareness can be integrated in collection development, cataloguing, and providing patrons access to gender-fair materials.
Peresie and Alexander state that so much more needs to be done to dispel the current stereotypes about librarians. They argued that more positive portrayals of male librarian characters in young adult novels could encourage more males to enter the profession by decreasing its feminized perception.
Gatley, on the other hand maintains that combating stereotypes lies not in improving the image of the male librarian, or the image of the female librarian, but in the advancement and betterment of librarianship as a whole. Similarly, Gordon adds that the changing LIS environment requires diversity. By having people from different genders, sexual orientation, generations, races, ethnic backgrounds, and social classes, the library is better equipped to serve its patrons.
References
Anderson, K. (n. d.). Why does feminism matter in library and information studies?
Retrieved October 17, 2008, from http://www.gslis.mcgill.ca/marginal/mar8-2/feminism.htm
Gatley, R. (2004). The invisible librarian. Mr. Lady, the Male Librarian. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from http://www.slais.ubc.ca/COURSES/libr500/03-04-wt2/www/r_gatley/invisibility.htm
Gordon, R. S. (2004, June). NextGen: The men among us. Library Journal. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA423789.html
Hultin, M. (2003). Some take the glass escalator, some hit the glass ceiling? Work and Occupations, 30, (1), 30-61. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from http://wox.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/1/30
Ingold, C. (2007, Fall). Introduction: Gender issues in information needs and services. Library Trends, 56, (2), 299-302. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from Project Muse.
Maatta, S. (2008, October). Inside the library gender gap: An exploration of why women rule libraries except when it comes to pay. Library Journal. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6604387
Peresie, M. & Alexander, L. B. (2005, Fall). Librarian stereotypes in young adult literature. Young Adult Library Services. 4, (1), 24-31. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from Academic Search Complete.
Piper, P. & Collamer, B. E. (2001, September). Male librarians: Men in feminized profession. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 27, (5), 406-411. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from Academic Search Complete.
Sverdlin, T. (2008, October). Wage discrepancies and gender in librarianship. LibGig LLC. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from http://www.libgig.com/wages
Voelck, J. (2003). Directive and connective: Gender based differences in the management styles of academic library managers. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 3, 393-418. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from Project Muse.
Williams, C. L. (1992) "The glass escalator: Hidden advantages for men in the 'female' professions. Social Problems, 39, 253-267. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/hdh9/e-reserves/Williams_- _The_glass_escalator_PDF-1.pdf
Williams, J. C. (2004, November-December). Hitting the maternal wall. Academe. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from http://www.calfac.org/allpdf/researchcntr/Article5_121406.pdf
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