I gränslandet mellan kvinnlig service och manlig IT : En diskurspsykologisk undersökning av svenska högskolebibliotekariers yrkesidentitet

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine whether or not male and female academic librarians describe their professionalidentity differently from one another, and how they use a gender-based language in their descriptions. The study makes six semi structured qualitative interviews with three male and three female academic librarians, and the transcribed interviews are analysed using discourse psychology. The study shows that the male and female respondents use a gender-based language when describing their work tasks and academic libraries as a whole, but there was no difference between how female and male respondents described their own professional identity. The study came to the conclusion that academic libraries are attributed male characteristics by the respondents, in contrast to public libraries who are attributed female characteristics. Academic libraries are therefore perceived to have a higher status in society compared to public libraries