Könsmärkning och statusrelevans i folkbiblioteksvärlden
The main purpose of this Masters thesis is to examine gender division in public libraries by reviewing literature and interviewing eight public librarians and two chief librarians. The reason why we decided to investigate this topic is the lack of research concerning sex-segregation in library and information science. By choosing this subject we intend to deepen the understanding of the significance of gender both within the public library and of the occupation in general. Some researchers claim that the low status of librarianship is a result of the large proportion of women in the profession. We want to find out how our informants view the relation between professional status and female domination. The theories we use are based on two concepts: glass escalator and sex marking. The study reveals that both women and men want to see more men entering the library profession because of their will to equalize the sex-structure of the workplace. Therefore, male librarians can have advantages in the recruitment process. Our informants also express the idea that more men in librarianship will raise salaries and status. However, some maintain that this is not the right method. Within the library profession high status is often related to technology and particularly IT and it is also assumed that these are male domains. At the same time, the librarians accord status various meanings. One of our conclusions is that the concept of status does not have one singular definition, neither within library and information science nor in everyday speech.