In 1880, men were dominating the library field. 52% of the 636 librarians in the United States were men, however by 1930, only 8% of men were librarians. In 50 years, men were practically non-existent in library fields. Melville Dewey was a champion of this cause, as he actively petitioned library schools to accept women. Because of this, he anticipated the waning appeal of librarianship for men, while at the same time recognized the widespread availability of talented “college-bred women.” Today, women are still the majority within the library field, with 83% of librarians being women.
Beveridge, Andrew, Susan Weber, and Sydney Beveridge. "Librarians in the United States from 1880-2009." OUPblog. Oxford University Press, 20 June 2011. Web Dewey, M. Librarianship as a profession for college-bred women: An address delivered before the Association of collegiate alumnæ, on March 13, 1886. Boston, MA: Library Bureau. March 13, 1886.
A History of the Wage Gap
The wage gap in librarianship is not new. It has been found throughout library history, that men, despite being in a field dominated by women, are continually paid higher than women. A 1975 was found to be the greatest cause of dissatisfaction among the staff members of the library and lack of promotion potential was the next greatest but, during the same study female librarians are more satisfied with their pay than females in other jobs outside the library. A 1992 study found that there are fewer males than females at the administrative and professional levels, females are paid 3.4% less than their male counterparts, and the salary differentials vary between 13.5% less for women and 9.5% more than men. In 2010, median weekly earnings for women were 81 percent those of men. For most women of color, the earnings gap is even larger: African American women earned just 72 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2010. Hispanic and Latina women earned just 62 cents for every dollar men earned. Only Asian American women’s earnings were closer to parity with men’s: in 2010, they earned 94 percent that of all men. However, they earned 83 percent as much as Asian American men. And, in 2014, women working as full-time librarians reported a median annual salary of $48,589, compared to $52,528 for men. The difference is even more noticeable among full-time library technicians. Women earned $28,121 per year in this position, while men earned $36,862 per year. Putnam, Kerin. "GENDER AND SALARY DIFFERENTIALS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF IN METROPOLITAN CHICAGO SPECIAL LIBRARIES." Diss. Northern Illinois Universiry, 1992. Miniter, John. "An Analysis of Job Satisfaction Among Public, College Or University, and Special Librarians." Diss. North Texas State University (1975) "LIBRARY WORKERS: FACTS & FIGURES." DPE Fact Sheet. American Library Association, May 2011. Web. "Library Workers: Facts & Figures." Department for Processional Employees., 2016.
Library Leaders and Gender
The gender gap between administrators and higher level management positions within libraries is slowly closing. When Title IX was implemented in 1972, only 4.6% of women held high-level administrative positions at research libraries. In 2004, this number has grown to 51.2%. In 1975 a study showed that while men made up most of the higher administration and have higher pay, they are more dissatisfied with their jobs than women who are in lower paying jobs. This is because these men have often trained to be librarians, not administration, and find that dissatisfying. Women, on the other hand, have been properly trained to be librarians, and are therefore happier with their jobs. By 2010, men accounted for 17.2 percent of librarians, but 40 percent of those were library directors. However, there is one area where the wage gap has closed, and that is within research libraries. 62 percent of university library professionals are female, the majority of the directors are females, and the female director's salary is on average higher than a males salary. Miniter, John. "An Analysis of Job Satisfaction Among Public, College Or University, and Special Librarians." Diss. North Texas State University (1975) "LIBRARY WORKERS: FACTS & FIGURES." DPE Fact Sheet. American Library Association, May 2011. Web. Deyrup, Marta Mestrovic. "A Career of Our Own: Academic Librarians Reflect on Gender and Leadership." American Libraries Magazine, Vol. 46, Issue 3-4, March-April 2015 |9 Mar. 2015.