Academic Libraries As Feminine and Feminist Models of Organization. Marie F
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East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2008 Academic Libraries as Feminine and Feminist Models of Organization. Marie F. Jones East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Gender and Sexuality Commons, and the Work, Economy and Organizations Commons Recommended Citation Jones, Marie F., "Academic Libraries as Feminine and Feminist Models of Organization." (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1920. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1920 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Academic Libraries as Feminine and Feminist Models of Organization ___________________________ A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education _____________________ by Marie F. Jones May 2008 _____________________ Dr. Hal Knight, Chair Dr. Louise MacKay Dr. Norma Macrae Dr. Jasmine Renner Keywords: Gender, Feminism, Feminine, Women, Organizational Culture, Bureaucracy ABSTRACT Academic Libraries as Feminine and Feminist Models of Organization by Marie F. Jones Because academic libraries are primarily staffed by women and are relatively autonomous entities in colleges and universities, they offer a unique model of workplace gendering and feminism. This qualitative, ethnographic study examined 3 small college libraries in 3 regions of the United States and explored issues of bureaucracy and gendering in these libraries. Feminist challenges to bureaucracy emerged in the areas of hierarchy, division of labor, competition and collaboration, decision-making, and communication. Feminine practice in the libraries reflected private sphere attitudes toward work (values of community, emotionality, and caring) and an affirmation of feminine roles in the workplace. The organizational cultures of these libraries affirmed flexible scheduling, emotions and friendship at work, and parenting talk and behaviors. The library workers also engaged in an ethic of care for library users and colleagues. Individuals in the organizations expressed motivations for work not based in monetary or status gain and endorsed women‘s power in leadership roles. The gendering of libraries also placed strong masculinity outside of the norm, creating expectations for men to engage in androgynous or feminine behavior. Overall, the study gives voice to feminine and feminist practice in the workplace. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study would have been impossible without the people who so kindly allowed me into their work lives. They are all very special individuals I am privileged to have met. My profound thanks go out to each and every one of them. Thank you, also, to my dissertation chair, Dr. Hal Knight. He allowed me the freedom to make this project and my entire doctoral career an academic adventure. Without his support for my overreaching dreams, this project would never have come to fruition. Additional thanks go to the rest of my committee: Drs. MacKay, Macrae, and Renner, for their insightful readings of this document. Appreciation is also due to East Tennessee State University and to Rita Scher, for allowing me a year away from my own library work to conduct this research. Rita‘s support was invaluable throughout my coursework and her vision of leadership helped me to frame this study. Friends helped and supported me through this process. Rebecca Tolley-Stokes, my peer reviewer, saw me through monumental milestones—both dissertation and wedding—with unfailingly clear-headed perspectives. She is a good friend and a thoughtful feminist. Colleagues Kathy Campbell and Jerry Shuttle were also invaluable. Thank you for the coffee breaks, the lunches, the sessions of crying on the phone. Finally, my thanks to Davis Smith, my partner. Thank you for being there, for making me laugh, and for reminding me that I don‘t have to do everything all at once. 3 CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... 3 LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 11 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................... 14 Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 15 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................... 15 Definitions of Terms ........................................................................................................... 16 Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 17 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 17 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................... 19 Feminist Theories: Radical, Socialist, and Postmodern...................................................... 19 Feminist Theory and Feminist Organizations ..................................................................... 22 Gendered Organizations...................................................................................................... 24 Private vs. Public Work ...................................................................................................... 28 The Gendered Nature of Librarianship ............................................................................... 30 Sex Segregation ...................................................................................................... 30 Sex Segregation and Professionalization ................................................................ 32 The Experience of Sex-Segregated Work ............................................................... 34 4 Librarianship and Feminism ................................................................................... 36 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 39 3. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... 40 Site Selection ...................................................................................................................... 43 Description of Sites ............................................................................................................ 44 Epistemological Considerations.......................................................................................... 45 Feminist Ethical Considerations ......................................................................................... 45 Data Collection Strategies................................................................................................... 47 Participant Observation ........................................................................................... 47 Feminist interview and dialog ................................................................................. 48 Document analysis .................................................................................................. 51 Audio recording ...................................................................................................... 51 Photography ............................................................................................................ 52 Fieldnotes ................................................................................................................ 52 Anonymity .............................................................................................................. 53 Reflexivity............................................................................................................... 54 Biases ...................................................................................................................... 54 Data Analysis Procedures ................................................................................................... 55 Trustworthiness of the Study .................................................................................. 56 Reporting the Findings ........................................................................................................ 60 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................... 60 4. BUREAUCRACY AND FEMINISM .......................................................................................