Feminism in the Stacks

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Feminism in the Stacks Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters 2010 Conference March 26, 2010 Sharon Ladenson Michigan State University Libraries Gloriane Peck Library of Michigan

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Transcript of Feminism in the Stacks

Page 1: Feminism in the Stacks

Feminism in the Stacks

Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters2010 Conference March 26, 2010

Sharon Ladenson Michigan State University Libraries

Gloriane Peck Library of Michigan

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Issues to Consider

• Do Generation X librarians consider themselves to be feminists?

• What impact does feminism have on the work of Generation X librarians and others?

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Flickr Commons/natashalcd

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Issues to Consider

• Do differences among the generations shape gendered communication in libraries?

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Life images/Google

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Issues to Consider

• What are the differences between second and third wave feminism, and how have the changes in feminist philosophy and activism influenced Gen-X librarians and others?

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Data Collection

• Survey Monkey• Distributed to electronic discussion

lists• 560 responses between December

11, 2009 and January 31, 2010

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About the Respondents

• 87.9 percent were female• 42.9 percent were Generation Xers

– Ages 29 to 43• 38.2 percent were Baby Boomers

– Ages 44 to 63• 17.9 percent were Millennials

– Ages 20 to 28• 1.1 percent were Traditionalists

– Ages 64 and older

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Feminist Identity

• More than three-quarters (78.6 percent) identified as feminist.

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Second Wave Feminism

• Resurgence of feminism during the 1960s and 1970s– Viewed the personal

as political• Beauty standards• Sexuality and

gender roles• Violence against

women

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Third Wave Feminism

• “The defining characteristic of the third wave is coming of age in the 1980s and 1990s.” (Gilley)

• Women of color• Celebrate individual

freedom of choice• Sexuality and gender

bending

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Defining Feminism

• Individual choice• Equality• Diversity of gender

identities• Awareness of gender

bias

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Influencing Library Work

• Treating patrons and colleagues equally

• Balanced viewpoints in collection development and in reference service

• The library as a place for all people

• Promoting self-esteem of users

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Life images/Google

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Gender and Promotion

• Studies focused on women in management positions– Increasing number of

women in top jobs

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Gender and Promotion

• Nearly three-quarters (72.7 percent) said it is their opinion that gender does not have an impact on hiring or promotion

• But the qualitative findings present a very different picture.– Men more quickly promoted– Men sought out to promote diversity

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Gender in the Workplace• Family-friendly scheduling

practices and policies for both women and men

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Workplace Communication• Literature documents gender

differences in communication– Women use more words, both written

and verbal– Men are more likely to interrupt– Women ask more questions, while

men emphasize achievements more.

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Workplace Communication• Some examples from survey respondents

of the impact of gender on communication:– My “identity as a feminist makes me more

liable to label something as sexist, inappropriate or systematic.”

– Some men interrupt and dismiss contributions from women

– “Women in our library tend to discuss, examine and thrash out problems and ideas. It is very hard to engage our male colleagues to do the same.”

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Workplace Communication• Many respondents said age has a

greater impact than gender on communication in the workplace.– Most notably Generation X and

Millennial respondents– Some younger and newer librarians

feel less valued and heard by older colleagues.

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Workplace Communication• Impact of technology noted by

literature, some survey respondents– Some younger librarians addressed

difficulty introducing new technologies

– Some older librarians disputed the notion of a technology gap

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Conclusions

• Quantitative data support existing research showing the increase of women in library management positions

• Qualitative data illustrate that gender bias and discrimination remain problematic in libraries

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For Future Study

• Investigate the impact of sexuality and race on hiring, promotion and management in libraries.

• Explore connections between feminist identity and involvement in library public service, as survey respondents noted that feminism shapes their approach to treating all patrons equally.

• Investigate how attitudes about feminism change over time.

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