By Brian Moore
Research Analyst
Business Information Centre
Bank of Montreal

What's it like to be a man in a "woman's profession?"

Why would a man want to work in a "woman's profession?"

Very few people would argue that special libraries are numerically dominated by women. Everyone has seen evidence of this first hand in research literature, at work and at SLA meetings. The ratio of females to males among librarians appears to be about 4:1. I suspect that library association surveys would approximately support that estimate.

Several articles, books, and reports have been written about the discrimination suffered by female librarians, both within the library hierarchy itself and also in the larger contexts of parent organizations and society as a whole. But throughout the debates, studies and task forces, the status and roles of male librarians have remained largely invisible. Men are usually mentioned only to illustrate the degree to which female librarians have been discriminated.

Who Are These Guys?

One of the few, well researched profiles I could find of male librarians was published by James V. Carmichael.⁽¹⁾ While my literature search was not exhaustive, this was the most relevant I could find. In his survey, Carmichael looks at both how male librarians view themselves and at their demographics. He surveyed male members of the American Library Association in 1991. While he admits to some flaws in the study, his findings sound generally accurate. Although only 10% of his respondents worked in special libraries, the data probably still has some relevance for SLA members.

Carmichael found that most male librarians were in administrative positions (53.73%) or worked in reference (16.18%). This lack of balance in management appears less pronounced in special libraries - maybe because their generally small size produces less bureaucracy. In Carmichael's study almost 53% of respondents were either the heads of libraries or were managing a department or branch.

Surprisingly, his findings showed that 95% of the sample were white. The figures may be a little less lopsided in larger, more diverse cities but a glance at the membership of SLA would probably support a ratio close to this. For whatever reason, male librarians appear to be even less ethnically diverse than female librarians.

Other findings included that the majority of the male librarians in the survey held an MLS, were baby boomers and were married. The stereotype that men in libraries are more likely to be gay is a myth. According to Carmichael, the proportion of homosexuals and heterosexuals among male librarians is comparable to that in the general population.

In my experience, stereotypes of male librarians are fewer and slightly more flattering than those for women. I have never heard of a direct male equivalent to the "Marian the Librarian" image that comes out of movies and television. The common portrayal of men in libraries shares the sternness and obsession with rules that the female stereotype has. But the media caricature of men in our profession also includes the bookish scholar toiling in darkly lit rooms, wearing a comfortable sweater tethered to the furniture by cobwebs and dust. This partly contributes to the popular perception of librarianship as a kind of "retreat" from the harsh realities of the outside world.

Carmichael found that about 60% of respondents believed that a stereotype exists. However, only half of special librarians were aware of it and usually in social situations outside the library. The stereotypes identified most often were: "effeminate, probably gay," "powerless, socially inept," and "unambitious...unable to succeed in the 'real' world."

What's really disturbing about the survey results is that many respondents seemed to believe that the stereotype had some truth to it. In another study, Roma Harris noted that "[e]ven today, many male librarians seem to have a moody preoccupation with their image, certain that the public holds them in much more contempt than is actually the case."⁽²⁾ If that is even partly true then the "image" problem is larger than we realized.

What Is It Like Working with All Those Women?

Pretty darn good. But not everyone agrees with me. The "femaleness" of the profession may become less pronounced as the corporate business world slowly gravitates towards the so-called female style of management: group decision making, empowerment, learning organizations, mentoring, team work, flattened hierarchies and whatever other buzzwords the gurus can invent. However, this is not evident yet.

Special libraries, again partly due to their relatively small staff size, will likely find adapting to the new management ethos easier than other areas in their organizations. Many male special librarians already have the advantage of having worked in this type of environment from the beginning of their careers.

Carmichael's survey also examines men's views on sexual prejudices in detail. Most of the respondents indicated that the scarcity of men in the profession neither hindered nor improved their chances of career advancement. However, nearly 40% agreed that their gender aided their progression through the ranks and only 10% believed that their gender was an impediment. Carmichael found that only 9% of male librarians felt they had ever suffered discrimination (in some cases sexual orientation was the source) and only 4% had been sexually harassed.

In a separate article, Carmichael gives several examples of comments from respondents of what they considered to be unjust treatment.⁽³⁾ Although a few raised legitimate and serious accusations, many paled next to the discrimination claimed by female librarians. Some of the comments were bitter and downright whiny. A lot of resentment appeared to rise from affirmative action programs and the perception that men's careers were suffering because of efforts to right past wrongs against women.

Why Be a Librarian?

What drew me to the profession was research or reference work. I discovered when I was in university that I loved to learn new things and that performing the research for an essay was much more interesting than writing it. A bonus, once I began working, was the discovery that libraries were turning more and more towards technology. In that respect I fit the stereotype of the male who is a gadget-a-holic.

The fact that I was entering a woman's profession was never a consideration and I suspect that it is not a deterrent for the majority of library students.

Carmichael found that the most common reasons given by respondents for becoming a librarian were "love of books" and "previous experience in libraries" in that order. Fortunately, the "non-threatening environment" response was only offered by 7% of the sample. I would guess that they got a rude awakening. Not surprisingly, of the 8% of men who cited "interest in computers" as the motivation for their career choice, a third were under the age of 30. As technology tightens its grip on the profession, this may encourage more men to enter library school.

In general, what draws most men to the profession has little to do with gender. Everyone has their own reasons and I believe these are common to both women and men. The skills and mind set required to succeed and prosper in the future may take the profession beyond the male/female dichotomy, not only as libraries change but also as the world changes. The challenge will be waiting for society to catch up with us, not the other way around.

⁽¹⁾ "The Male Librarian and the Feminine Image: A survey of stereotype, status and gender perceptions," by James V. Carmichael in Library and Information Science Research, 1992.

⁽²⁾ Librarianship: The erosion of a woman's profession by Roma M. Harris. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Corp., 1992, p. 72.

⁽³⁾ "Gender issues in the workplace: male librarians tell their side," by James V. Carmichael. American Libraries, March 1994, p. 227 230.

Copyright © 1996 SLA. All rights reserved.

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