LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES FACULTY IN CANADA - A SEX-RATIO STUDY

This study looks at the sex ratio of women to men and related factors among library and information studies faculty in Canada by profiling 1 971/72 and 1991/92 for comparison. The twenty-year span is intended to reflect the impact of feminism, the advent of automation, two-year ma ster's programs, LIS doctoral programs, the 1972 accreditation standar ds, and faculty turnover. Primary sources of information are the 1971/ 72 directory issue of Journal of Education for Librarianship and the 1 991/92 directory issue of Journal of Education for Library and Informa tion Science, as well as library school catalogs. The sample comprises the entire population of full-time faculty in the seven currently acc redited programs. Academic rank, doctorates held, and areas of teachin g specialization are explored to identify differences between women an d men. The findings indicate that the Canadian sex ratio, which is the reverse of the figures for North America in general, was the same in 1991/92 as in 1971/72. However, women and men have become more evenly distributed by rank and by area of teaching specialization. Recommenda tions for future research include a qualitative look at what influence sex ratio of LIS faculty has on students.