Success for women library managers ‐ but on whose terms?

Abstract

Notes that women have made significant inroads into Australian library management over the last decade. Identifies a double‐glazed glass ceiling in Australian libraries and an organizational culture inhospitable to women as managers. Reports on investigations with 20 successful women managers to explore these concerns further. Finds that while management is still presumed to be a full‐time occupation which demands an individual’s total commitment, stories of the women in many instances reveal interruptions for childbearing and child‐rearing. Questions the meaning of “success” in organizational discourse. Highlights the need for a comparative analysis between male and female librarians in terms of career development.