Det ska böjas i tid det som krokigt skall bli – Om reproduktion av kön på bibliotek

Sammanfattning:

This Master's Thesis studies the attitude that library employees have regarding a sex and gender-neutral treatment

of their clients. The analysis is based upon replies to a questionnaire which was submitted though channels directed

at library employees, like BIBLIST and BiblFeed. The respondent’s replies contained a number of welldeveloped

comments making the resultant analysis both quantitative and qualitative in nature.

In performing the analysis a theoretical framework combining Hirdman’s gender system with symbolic interactionism

has been used together with literature about gender roles.

The questionnaire showed that gender neutrality is a complex concept that can be interpreted in many different

ways and is therefore easily misunderstood. It is obvious that sex is an important category when respondents are

dealing with their clients, but also that sex and gender are problematic concepts which respondents find difficult

to know exactly how to relate to. A lot of the respondents see a need to address gender issues, but a lot of them

also state that gender is a biological concept and therefore impossible or unnecessary to have to relate to. In general,

in the replies to the questionnaire availability tops the list over important questions to be addressed in the

library while sex and gender have very low priority.

My belief is that gender norms are possible to change and that sex and gender issues should be prioritized by virtue

of being recognised as an availability issue. It is everybody’s individual fundamental values that together form

society’s common fundamental values. If we all put on our gender glasses and are prepared to alter how we treat

one another we can, eventually, make sex and gender less important categories and begin to see our clients as individuals.